2023-06-04 02:40:28
On Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu warned of the establishment of “NATO-like” military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Chinese official considered that the establishment of such military alliances would plunge the Asia-Pacific region into a “whirlwind” of conflicts.
During a conference on security organized as part of the “Shangri-La Dialogue” in Singapore, Lee warned that “attempts to promote NATO-like alliances in the Asia-Pacific region are a way to hijack countries in the region and amplify conflicts and confrontations, which will only lead to flooding the region.” Asia and the Pacific is in a whirlwind of disputes and conflicts.”
The Chinese minister accused “some countries” of intensifying the arms race and deliberately interfering in the internal affairs of others, referring to the United States.
“The Cold War mentality is now re-emerging, which greatly increases security risks. Mutual respect must take precedence over bullying and domination,” he added.
dialogue with China
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Saturday that dialogue between the United States and China is “essential” and will avoid miscalculations that could lead to conflict, after Beijing rejected an invitation to hold a formal meeting between him and his Chinese counterpart.
“The United States believes that open lines of communication with the People’s Republic of China are essential, particularly between military and defense officials,” Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
And the US Department of Defense announced last Monday that Beijing had refused to accept an invitation it made to hold a meeting in Singapore between the defense ministers of the two countries, Lloyd Austin and Li Shang-fu.
“The People’s Republic of China has informed the United States that it declines an invitation from us in early May for a meeting this week in Singapore between Secretary Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu,” said a statement from Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder.
“The lack of willingness of the People’s Republic of China to engage in meaningful military talks is worrisome, but it will not weaken the Department of Defense’s commitment to seeking to open lines of communication with the People’s Liberation Army,” Ryder said.
A senior official in the Ministry of Defense described the refusal to accept the invitation as “the latest in a series of excuses,” and said that, as of 2021, China “has either rejected or not responded to more than 12 requests by the Ministry of Defense for communication between the two leaderships, and to several requests for communication between the two leaderships.” Permanent dialogues, and about ten requests for communication at the level of work teams.
The US administration imposed sanctions on Li Shang Fu in 2018 because of his purchase of Russian weapons, but the Pentagon asserts that this matter does not prevent Austin from officially dealing with him.
Earlier in 2022, Lee and Austin held another meeting in Cambodia, but tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated this year due to several files, including Taiwan, and the United States accusing China of launching a spy balloon over its territory, which was shot down by an American fighter after it flew over the country.
Austin and other US officials are working to strengthen alliances and partnerships in Asia as part of efforts to counter China’s growing influence, while initial indications are that the two sides are seeking to contain tensions between them.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met China’s top foreign affairs official, Wang Yi, in the Austrian capital earlier this month.
US President Joe Biden recently stated that relations between Washington and Beijing are supposed to “improve very soon”, after the Chinese balloon contributed to fueling tension.
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