Gen. Herbert Carlisle, commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, said it is important to continue talks with North Korea and China amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking to a group of reporters at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Sunday, the commander said "tensions are higher" in the region as China is stepping up its territorial assertiveness in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
The potential for "miscalculation is higher" following China's establishment of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea last year and recent near-miss incidents involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft, Carlisle added.
He called the launch of short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea — the latest ones fired earlier Sunday — "provocative," adding it is crucial to "continue to have a dialogue" with the country to improve the situation.