On the evening of April 16, the defense ministers of China and the United States held a video phone call, and according to the press release issued by the Chinese side, the phone call was conducted between the Chinese side and the US side at the request, which means that the high-level contact between the two militaries was initiated by the US side.
On the one hand, this is because Defense Minister Dong Jun has assumed the post of Chinese defense minister, and it is necessary for the Chinese and US militaries to have some contacts to enhance mutual understanding; on the other hand, it is also because of some recent US practices that we need to remind him.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun visited Vietnam
During the phone call, Defense Minister Dong Jun went straight to the point, stressing that the Chinese and US militaries should explore ways to get along, build a relationship between the two militaries that is free from conflict and confrontation, implement the consensus reached at the highest level of the two countries, accumulate bilateral mutual trust, and prevent the occurrence of major crises.
The key is to prevent a major crisis from occurring and avoid taking actions that could lead to miscalculations by the other side, and the current actions of the United States on the Taiwan Strait issue and the South China Sea issue have already undermined China's sovereignty and regional security. In this regard, Defense Minister Dong Jun made demands to the US side on these two issues and expressed China's determination.
Defense Minister Dong Jun stressed that the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never let all "Taiwan independence" separatist acts and the connivance and support of external forces allow China's core interests to be harmed.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducts live-fire exercises in the South China Sea
In addition, with regard to the current situation in the South China Sea, Defense Minister Dong Jun said that regional countries have the willingness and ability to solve the problem, and the situation in the South China Sea remains stable on the whole, and the US side should clearly recognize China's firm position, earnestly respect China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take concrete actions to maintain the stability of China-US military relations.
The US side also responded to China's statement. According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense, the two defense ministers discussed bilateral relations and regional and international security issues, and both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining communication between the two militaries, but at the same time the U.S. side insisted that it would "continue to exercise the right to freedom of navigation where international law permits."
The U.S. remarks make it clear that it will continue to conduct military activities in the South China Sea, but China's attitude is also very clear: the U.S. should not rely on the Philippines to disrupt the situation in the South China Sea, and regional countries generally yearn for peace and tranquility.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
Some time ago, the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Timor-Leste visited China one after another, and Indonesian President-elect Prabowo, Vietnamese National Assembly President Ong Dinh Hue, and Thai Princess Sirindhorn visited China one after another.
The fact that special planes from Southeast Asian countries have arrived in China one after another is enough to show that the interests of China and ASEAN countries are extensive, and that both sides are willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the region, and inject positive energy and stability into the South China Sea.
Recently, the United States has been busy wooing the Philippines, sending warships to conduct joint military exercises with the Philippines in the South China Sea, and inviting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to Washington to convene a trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines to encourage the Philippines to take adventurous actions in the South China Sea.
Trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines
Judging from the fact that US Commander Aquilino said that "if Philippine soldiers die in the friction in the South China Sea, the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" can be invoked, if the Philippines really has no scruples and is determined to touch China, where is there any need for the United States to use the so-called "common defense" to embolden the Philippines.
To put it bluntly, it is because the Philippines is aware of the huge power gap between China and knows very well that it cannot take advantage of it, so when it takes relevant actions, it often looks like a huge momentum, but in fact it is very inward-looking.
The last time a Philippine ship failed to forcibly intrude into China's Nansha islands and reefs and was driven away by the Chinese coast guard's water cannons, didn't it just raise the white flag and surrender with humor? Therefore, the Philippines' reliance on provocations in the South China Sea is nothing more than the support of the United States, and the root cause of tension in the South China Sea is still the United States.
Chinese coast guard water cannons drive away Philippine vessels
If regional countries can unite to keep the interference of foreign forces out of the South China Sea, then the regional situation can achieve stability and tranquility.
At present, the United States is again deploying medium-range missile systems in the Philippines and asking the Philippines to open more military bases for the use of the US military, which has long aroused widespread dissatisfaction among regional countries.
During his visit to China, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son made a personal commitment to China, expressing his willingness to actively promote consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
10 ASEAN countries
It is believed that as long as ASEAN countries and China work together to maintain the overall situation of peace in the South China Sea, the United States' attempt to intervene in South China Sea affairs and destabilize the regional situation is doomed to fail.