US insists on playing its zero-sum game in Asia

By renaming the US Pacific Command the US Indo-Pacific Command, Washington is sending an unmistakable message that it wants to use its Indian Ocean allies and partners to contain China.

The change of name was announced by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Wednesday in Hawaii, the command's headquarters, and his remarks and those of outgoing commander Admiral Harry Harris made it clear that this is because of China.

Harris described China as the biggest long-term challenge to the United States, and said that it required the "focused involvement and engagement" of the US and its allies and partners to prevent China realizing "its dream of hegemony in Asia".