US and ‘like-minded’ partners will maintain security in Asia in face of Chinese ‘competition’, American admiral says

A partnership between the United States and “like-minded nations” will keep Asian countries secure in the face of competition from a rising China, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet said on Friday.On a visit to Bangkok, Admiral John Aquilino, 56, criticised China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, a vital trade waterway with rich energy resources where Beijing has disputes with five nations.“We are in competition with the People’s Republic of China,” Aquilino told…