31.05.2023
As Sino-US relations continue to get tense, Washington is hoping that the Chinese and US defense ministers can meet on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. However, the Chinese side has made it clear that the conditions for equal dialogue between China and the United States are not currently being met.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese Network Voice) “Weizer Messenger” wrote that the Pentagon has done everything possible in the past few weeks, in order to facilitate the direct dialogue between the defense ministers of China and the United States during the Shangri-La Forum, but this Wednesday, China finally gave In a very simple response, the Chinese side is not interested in direct dialogue. The report, titled “Beijing Closes Door on US Defense Secretary,” reads:
“The fuse of China’s tough stance was the sanction order issued by the United States against Li Shangfu during the Trump administration. The United States believed that Li Shangfu, director of the Weapons Department of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China at the time. dealing with China’s purchase of Russian Su-35 fighter jets and the S -400 missile defense system to take responsibility.
However, the sanctions against Li Shangfu are just one of many disputes between China and the United States. China is also dissatisfied with US restrictions on China in the field of chip technology and its continued criticism of the human rights situation in Xinjiang. In August last year, Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives at the time, visited Taiwan, the spy balloon incident, China’s pro-Putin stance in the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Taiwanese president’s recent visit to New York and California , (all of which have affected Sino-US relations. constantly tending to be full of tension).
The Pentagon said that China’s rejection of Li Shangfu’s participation in the Defense Minister’s Dialogue was completely pretextual, and that China had rejected “a request for more than a dozen leadership-level meetings” and more Sino-US working-level dialogues.
During the Shangri-La Forum last year, the defense ministers of China and the United States held a dialogue in Singapore. (data map)
Bonnie Glaser, an expert on China at the German Marshall Fund, said that the current situation of blocking exchanges between China and the United States is disturbing: “The Chinese clearly do not realize the risks that are hidden in blocking Sino-US military. exchanges. ‘”
Regarding the fact that China rejected the US invitation to dialogue, the Bonn Allgemeine Zeitung said that it was very confusing that the owner of the Pentagon wanted to meet a Chinese official approved by the US side. China’s refusal to participate in the China-US Defense Ministers’ Dialogue is also puzzling, After all, it is very important for China to maintain a smooth dialogue channel with the world’s number one military power. The commentary, titled “Ending Silence, Restoring Dialogue,” reads:
“There is no point blaming each other for closing the dialogue channels. Because it can lead to a further increase in tensions, which is very dangerous for both sides.
Although the next presidential election may be criticized for being “weak to China”, President Biden should continue to create preconditions for the dialogue between the Chinese and US defense ministers. Li Shangfu, who was sanctioned by the US for buying Russian weapons in 2018, has now been promoted to defense minister. It is indeed counterintuitive to seek dialogue with him while maintaining sanctions against him.
In this way, Beijing will have one less excuse not to engage in substantive dialogue. Even during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union have always maintained a channel for military dialogue, because both sides know how important it is to reduce the risk of “treasure causing war”. For the same reason, China and the United States should also immediately end the situation of not communicating with each other. Otherwise, the chances of misunderstandings around Taiwan or military actions in the South China Sea will increase greatly. For the two opponents, China and the United States, for their respective interests, there should be the most basic consensus to keep the dialogue channels open. “
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