{"id":65294,"date":"2020-09-02T22:57:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T22:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/09\/02\/esper-punctuates-wwii-commemoration-remarks-with-a-warning-to-china\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:36:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:36:44","slug":"esper-punctuates-wwii-commemoration-remarks-with-a-warning-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/02\/esper-punctuates-wwii-commemoration-remarks-with-a-warning-to-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper punctuates WWII commemoration remarks with a warning to China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HONOLULU \u2015 As troops, veterans and officials gathered aboard the battleship Missouri on Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender to end World War II, Defense Secretary Mark Esper<\/a> used his keynote speech to put a fine point on where the post-war world order stands today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the final day of an Indo-Pacific trip during which he either met with or held calls with military and government leaders from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea, Esper didn\u2019t call out China<\/a> by name for flexing its economic and military muscle in the the region, but his choice of words left no questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, in the face of new challenges to this free and open order, we are working to build an even broader coalition of partners \u2014 one that includes both longtime friends and former adversaries \u2014 to protect the hard-fought gains of generations past and present, especially in the Pacific,\u201d he said. \u201cWe share an important goal \u2014 defending the sacred principles that benefit us all: democracy, liberty, sovereignty, human rights, mutual respect, and the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department has turned much of its attention to the Indo-Pacific, in the face of China\u2019s growing military power, specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of that has included reaching out to many of the countries in the region, offering support and opportunities for military cooperation, in a bid to bring them into the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing, deepening, and unifying this network must remain central to our collective strategy to ensure peace and prosperity for another 75 years and beyond,\u201d Esper said. \u201cWe welcome every nation \u2014 especially those that have benefited the most from today\u2019s international system \u2014 to join us in this effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t