Military commanders from Japan, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines and fourteen other countries met in Tokyo this week for a gathering that Washington hopes will help forge cooperation between nations that can help it contain China.
The Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) was started by the United States in Hawaii in 2015 as it began shifting away from a policy of engaging with China to one that tries to hem in Beijing's influence. That included a military pivot by Washington to Asia and a push for deeper ties with like-minded nations in the region.
"There is no nation that can do it all by themselves, everyone has a piece to offer," Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said in a closing address.