U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun held talks for the primary time in 18 months on Tuesday, the Pentagon mentioned.
The United States has been working to strengthen protection cooperation with its allies within the Asia-Pacific area to counter China’s rising affect but additionally needs to take care of traces of communication with Beijing to forestall tensions from spiraling uncontrolled.
“The two officials discussed US-PRC defense relations and regional and global security issues,” the Pentagon mentioned in a press release, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC” following talks between the 2 sides in latest months, the assertion mentioned.
Austin additionally “reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows,” and “underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea.”
Austin’s final vital interplay with a Chinese counterpart occurred in November 2022, when he met with Wei Fenghe in Cambodia.
Wei was subsequently changed by Li Shangfu, who shook fingers and spoke briefly with Austin at a protection convention in Singapore final June, however didn’t maintain a proper assembly with the Pentagon chief.
China was unwilling to conform to talks between Austin and Li whereas the latter was underneath American sanctions, a senior U.S. protection official informed journalists – an impediment that was eliminated when Li was changed by Dong final 12 months.
US-China tensions
There are a number of factors of competition between Washington and Beijing, particularly over Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that China claims as a part of its territory to be taken in the future, by pressure if mandatory.
Beijing halted cooperation with the U.S. on points together with protection talks in August 2022 to precise its displeasure over a go to by then-U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, however U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed at a summit in November to the resume discussions.
Disputes over the South China Sea – which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety – is one other potential flashpoint, with clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels stoking fears of wider battle.
The United States has additionally highlighted a number of incidents in recent times through which it says Chinese warplanes and ships have operated in an unsafe method round American plane and vessels.
Austin has repeatedly emphasised the significance of military-to-military communications as a method of heading off potential battle, and there have been a number of latest interactions between navy officers from the United States and China regardless of tensions between the 2 sides.
These embody prime U.S. navy officer General Charles “CQ” Brown talking together with his counterpart General Liu Zhenli in December, and talks between navy officers from Washington and Beijing this month on security in interactions between their armed forces.
The Pentagon and China “are continuing to discuss future engagements between our senior defense and military leaders,” the senior U.S. protection official mentioned, including: “These engagements provide us with opportunities to prevent competition from veering into conflict by speaking candidly about our concerns.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com