 Russia and China unite against US. The West's expansion of its military presence in Asia risks causing a prolonged conflict because people in the region will not accept such a dictate. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, by pushing bloc structures such as Orcus and NATO infrastructure into Asia, Western leaders are making a serious bid for a confrontation lasting for long, long years. He told a gathering in Moscow, I cannot imagine the great Asian civilizations towing the line the way the EU unfortunately did and obediently delivering Washington's agenda. Lavrov explained, Orcus, a military alliance comprising the UK, US and Australia, was touted as a mechanism to counter Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region when it was founded in 2021. Beijing this week reiterated its criticism of Orcus and Canberra's plan to procure US-made nuclear-propelled submarines citing the risk of nuclear proliferation posed by the technology used in the boats. Earlier this month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the US of trying to build an Indo-Pacific NATO and stir tensions between Beijing and New Delhi. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin previously denied having such plans. Last year, the US-led military bloc invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to attend its key summit in Madrid, Spain. Tensions between the US and China have been rising for years, with Taiwan a self-administered island becoming the focus of conflict. Senior US officials have been making regular visits to Taipei against Beijing's wishes. The administration of President Joe Biden approved sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan, claiming it needed to protect itself from a possible Chinese attack. Chinese President Xi Jinping asserted last week that Washington was trying to impose all-round containment and encirclement and suppression of his nation. Recently, US President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese in San Diego, where the three leaders considered supplying US and British manufactured nuclear submarines to Canberra. At least eight nuke subs are expected to be built in Adelaide. The talks may seemingly pave the way for a new stage in the trilateral AUKUS partnership. The Anglo-Saxon Defence Alliance, dubbed as Asian NATO by some experts, is seen as an effort to counter China.