S TRATEGIC F ORUM I

Nevertheless, Washington will the adoption of the term Indo-Pacific (which originated have to consider the implications of China’s responses to among Australian scholars earlier in the century) rather U. [...] officials and Mongolia) would contribute to the preservation of reaffirmed the importance of treaty alliances and part- a “free and open” region and dissuade Chinese adven- nerships with Southeast Asian countries, while placing turism.18 In November, the State Department issued A more attention on states such as Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, which documented a wide and the Feder. [...] S.] attempts to use the Indo-Pacific strategy as a tool Chinese officials are seeking to avoid a rhetorical con- to counter the BRI or even contain China.”26 In June 2019, frontation with the United States that would not be well the Chinese ambassador to India similarly argued that the received in the region, where appetite for an escalating Indo-Pacific Strategy Report’s labeling of China as a “r. [...] sale to India of 22 Sky Guardian un- of the Indo-Pacific strategy are to contain China and op- manned aerial vehicles in June 2017, the first to a non- pose the BRI; and identify weaknesses affecting the U. [...] the Taiwan-related language in the 2019 National De- officials to the contrary, containment is the motive that fense Authorization Act with the strategy.54 Chinese strategists most frequently ascribe to the Indo- While Chinese assessments typically focus on the Pacific strategy.57 Of the 26 articles that provide a view political and military features of the Indo-Pacific strate- on this topic, 22 (.