US Commander Warns of China, Russia, North Korea ‘Troublemakers’
- Trump wants better relations with Russian, Chinese leaders
- Admiral says Chinese Taiwan exercises moving to ‘rehearsal’
China, Russia and North Korea have formed a “triangle of troublemakers” that threatens to transform the Pacific region, a senior US commander has warned, even as President Donald Trump seeks warmer ties with two of those adversaries.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of Indo-Pacific Command, said the three countries have carried out joint naval exercises of increasing sophistication, alongside technology transfers and greater diplomatic cooperation. That threatens to transform the Pacific from free and open to controlled and contested, he said.