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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson recently visited the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand to ensure contacts with our partners remain ''a vibrant channel.''
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Personal interactions at all levels underpin U.S. military partnerships and alliances with nations around the world.
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The Pacific region is key to American prosperity and a center for American interests.
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''For a global nation, you need a global navy [and] that's what the U.S. Navy is,'' Richardson said. ''We need a global navy to secure the rules-based order in a global economy.''
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A major theme of Richardson's trip was to encourage our Pacific partners and allies to work bilaterally and multilaterally because the job is too big for any one nation.
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China is a major force in the region, Richardson believes there is a desire to work with China, so long as it is non threatening, acting as a cooperative and a participating member of this rules-based order.