China has criticised the commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK) who has described South Korea as a “dagger” and Japan as a “shield” in countering China’s growing regional influence. It comes as Washington seeks to expand the scope of its South Korea-based command for a greater presence across the Indo-Pacific in what Beijing views as an effort to contain it. During a podcast interview hosted by the US Army War College on May 22, USFK Commander Xavier Brunson said that when looking from the east