- Monica Miller Joshua Cheatham
- BBC
The United States has claimed that a Chinese destroyer conducted “unsafe” maneuvers near a US warship in the Taiwan Strait
China’s defense minister said that war with the United States would be an “unbearable catastrophe” for the world.
General Li Changfu, making his first major speech since taking office, added at a security summit that “some countries” are intensifying the arms race in Asia.
But he said the world is big enough, for both China and the United States, and the two superpowers should seek common ground.
The United States had claimed earlier, that a Chinese destroyer maneuvers “unsafe” near a US warship in the Taiwan Strait.
On Saturday, the US Navy said the Chinese destroyer had sailed “in an unsafe manner” near a US warship while it was transiting the Taiwan Strait with Canadian ships.
China criticized both countries for what it described as “deliberate risk-taking”, and the United States and Canada said their ships were sailing as permitted by international law.
General Lee, who assumed the post of defense minister last March, accused the United States of a “Cold War mentality,” and said that this “severely enhances security risks.”
In his speech, he said that China will not allow the naval patrols of the United States and its allies to be “an excuse to exercise hegemony over navigation.”
When asked about the incident in the Taiwan Strait, he said only that countries from outside the region stirred up tensions.
image copyright Reuters
The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, along with a Royal Canadian Navy frigate, during a training exercise in the South China Sea.
The Chinese defense minister made the remarks at the Singapore-hosted Shangri-La Dialogue, the only annual security meeting in the Asia-Pacific region.
Beijing rejected a US request for direct military talks, in protest against the sanctions imposed by the United States on General Lee in 2018, related to arms purchases from Russia.
During the Singapore summit, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized China for its refusal to hold military talks.
General Austin and General Lee shook hands and spoke briefly at the event’s opening dinner on Friday, but did not have any conversations of importance, reports said.
Zhou Bo, a retired officer of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said that the Chinese defense minister’s “moderate” tone indicated that talks with his US counterpart were possible, but Washington should lift the sanctions imposed on him.
Sanctions were imposed on General Lee in 2018 due to the purchase of military equipment from Russia, and Chu added that his five-year term as defense minister began earlier this year, but the sanctions prevent him from traveling to the United States, and also make it difficult for him to invite General Austin. to china.
image copyright AFP
Li Changfu became defense minister in March
“If sanctions are in effect, how can we talk? Sanctions have very big consequences,” said Zhou, who is currently a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy of Tsinghua University in Beijing.
The Reuters news agency said that prominent intelligence officials attended the meeting of intelligence chiefs at the Singapore summit.
Despite the diplomatic row, a senior US State Department official has arrived in Beijing and will stay for a week for wide-ranging talks.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained over the past years, due to many issues, including China’s claim to Taiwan, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng, a senior official of the People’s Liberation Army, said there is no room for compromise on the Taiwan issue, and accused the United States of meddling in the region.
He said during a press conference on the sidelines of the summit that Washington’s decision to increase the number of forces on the basis of rotation in the region may increase the risks of confrontation.
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2023-06-05 10:41:15
