China is 'pacing challenge' for US: Defence Secretary Austin Lloyd

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing on 2022 Budget Request for the Defense Department on Thursday that China was his “priority focus”.

China is a "pacing challenge" for America, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said, asserting that it is "really important" for the US to focus more on creating opportunities to better partner with its allies and partners in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region. Austin told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing on 2022 Budget Request for the Defense Department on Thursday that China was his “priority focus”. “China is, in fact, our pacing challenge and it is my priority focus. You've seen that quite frankly through our actions. My first overseas trip along with Secretary Blinken was over to the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.