US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has condemned China's "provocative, destabilizing" military activity near Taiwan and Beijing's escalating aggression in the Asia-Pacific area as a whole.

In his statement to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit on Saturday, Austin criticized Beijing's "growing coercion" toward Taiwan a day after his first face-to-face discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe.

"We've witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilising military activity near Taiwan," he said at a meeting in Singapore attended by defense ministers from Asia and around the world.

"That includes (Chinese military) aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months, and nearly on a daily basis," he said.

"We categorically oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side," he continued. Our policy has not changed; nevertheless, this does not appear to be the case for (China).

Tensions are escalating between Washington and Beijing over democratic, self-governed Taiwan, which China sees as its territory and has promised to seize by force if necessary.

Battle of words

According to Chinese officials, on Friday, Wei had warned Austin that "if anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost."

The Chinese defense ministry also warned that Beijing will "crush to smithereens any 'Taiwan independence' plot" and "resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland."

Chinese aircraft incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone have increased, escalating tensions over the island (ADIZ).

In his speech on Saturday, the Pentagon chief underlined US condemnation of China's increasingly "coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims."

With conflicting claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in yearly shipping traffic passes.

In addition to criticizing Russia's attack on Ukraine, he also took a veiled shot at China's expanding aggression.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all," he added.

Washington accuses Beijing of supplying Moscow with covert help. China has urged negotiations to end the situation but has refrained from denouncing Russia's actions.

We will speak during the summit, which runs from June 10 to 12, on Sunday.