China's "coercive behaviour" threatens regional stability, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday, after Taiwan said Beijing was carrying out its biggest maritime mobilisation around the self-ruled island in years.

The Pentagon chief is in Tokyo on what will likely be his last official Asia-Pacific trip, as the United States and Japan prepare for a new era shaped by incoming president Donald Trump's protectionist policies.

Trump, who will be sworn in next month, hopes to replace Austin with Pete Hegseth, a former military officer and Fox News presenter.

"Now we're clear-eyed about the challenges to peace and stability in this region and worldwide," Austin said as he met his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on Tuesday evening.

"That includes coercive behavior by the People's Republic of China in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and elsewhere in the........

© International Business Times