U.S. to raise arms sales in South-East Asia

Beijing. February 6. Silkroadnews - Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, the top U.S. top diplomat in charge of arms sales overseeing, said on Monday she would be promoting American weaponry at the largest air show in Asia, where China’s military power and political influence are growing, “Tampa Bay Times” wrote.
“A large U.S. delegation at the Singapore Air Show is doing “everything we can” to encourage Southeast Asian governments to purchase U.S.-made arms like the F-35 fighter jet,” Tina Kaidanow said.
The Trump administration in December outlined a new national security strategy that focused on countering the influence of China. The strategy calls for strengthening the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific region, where Beijing and Washington have accused each other of stoking their armaments in struggle to increase their influence.
T.Kaidanow said, she intends to meet with officials from Japan, Canada and several countries in Southeast Asia to discuss arms purchases at the exhibition in the coming days. She also argued the countries of South-East Asia should consider the purchase of American weapons “not just as a matter of security but also regional balance.”
China, in turn, condemns the U.S. military operations as “reckless” provocations that increase the risk of military confrontation between the two powers.