US says committed to stable, constructive relationship with China

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday he was committed to having a constructive relationship with China and working on common challenges as he laid out his vision for ties with Beijing, which have sunk to their lowest point in decades.

The United States has put countering China at the heart of its national security policy for years and President Joe Biden's administration has called rivalry with Beijing "the biggest geopolitical test" of this century.

While Austin's speech in Singapore will touch on the usual list of behaviour Washington describes as destabilising, from Taiwan to the South China Sea, his...