The U.S. Department of Defense said the U.S. is not making countries choose between Washington and Beijing.

During a regular briefing on Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby pointed out that the U.S. respects the relations between South Korea and China and understands that they are neighbors. 

But he added that China continues to coerce its regional neighbors into policies that are more in keeping with China’s view of what the region ought to look like, which are often at odds with the security interests of the U.S. and its allies.

Kirby said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed China when he met with South Korea's top security adviser Suh Hoon, and that Minister Suh also recognized those challenges.

But he said discussions in Seoul were primarily focused on the threat posed by North Korea and the ironclad commitment of the Seoul-Washington alliance in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.