According to the Ministry of National Defense, on the evening of April 16, mainland Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video call with US Secretary of Defense Austin.
It is reported that during the phone call, we mainly focused on two things: First, on the basis of the consensus reached by the Chinese and US heads of state in San Francisco last year, we should promote the stability of bilateral relations and prevent the outbreak of a major crisis between China and the United States. The other is to emphasize that the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests, that the South China Sea issue is China's most direct concern, which brooks no challenge from anyone, and that the PLA will have the ability to curb all "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external support. The purpose of this move is to clarify our bottom line and red line, and to avoid misunderstandings, misinterpretations and miscalculations involving neighboring countries.
And what did US Secretary of Defense Austin say during the phone call? We can see one or two things about this from the announcement issued by the Pentagon. The Pentagon said that in his phone call with Secretary of Defense Dong Jun, Austin stressed the necessity of maintaining communication between the Chinese and US militaries and reiterated the "one China" policy of the United States, but added a prefix and a suffix to this expression, that is, the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "six guarantees" of the US side were added before and after the three Sino-US joint communiques. This also shows that the US stance and attitude on the Taiwan issue have not changed.
China and the United States
At the same time, Austin also repeated the same old tune that "freedom of navigation and flight" in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait must be guaranteed, and that US warships and planes will continue to fly and sail freely as permitted by international law.
In addition, the defense ministers of China and the United States also exchanged views on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Judging from the content of the press releases of the two sides, the United States has taken a tough stance by making demands without giving conditions. China has put forward its own security demands, but the United States has not responded positively, and it can be summed up as "chickens and ducks talking", you say yours, I say mine. The only consensus between the two sides is that China and the United States will continue to maintain contacts and avoid a head-on conflict.
Regarding the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and even the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, they are all topics that are repeated in old tunes, and there are not many points worth analyzing. On the contrary, another point worth paying attention to is why Austin is talking on the phone with the Chinese defense minister at this time, and what is the purpose behind Austin's move?
Austin
To look at this matter, we must look at the series of events that have happened recently. For example, the Sino-US military work conference in Hawaii, the summit meeting of the United States, Japan and the Philippines, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed the conditions for triggering the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" and the Iran-Israel conflict.
On April 3 and 4, China and the United States held a meeting of the U.S.-China and U.S. military working groups in Hawaii, and the outcome of the meeting was the reopening of communication channels between the Chinese and U.S. militaries. Then on April 16, the Chinese and US defense ministers had a video call. This is a very critical time node, which means that since the Taiwan Strait crisis in August 2022, after a lapse of one and a half years, the high-level Chinese and US military leaders have achieved communication, which also reveals a message that Sino-US relations are moving towards relaxation, and the establishment and effective communication of military channels have greatly reduced the possibility of conflict between China and the US military.
The United States fears conflict with the Chinese and American militaries, especially over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. However, it is precisely because of the smooth communication channels that the United States has also provided ample "room for maneuver" on the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea issues, and has also been able to avoid a head-on confrontation between the Chinese and US militaries.
The other is the summit of the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Although China did not attend, China was the "protagonist" of the summit, such as Japan, which said that China is the biggest military threat in East Asia, and the United States promised to provide Japan with military protection, including nuclear weapons. Then, on the South China Sea issue, the United States made security assurances to the Philippines, and also said that the so-called United States and the Philippines are both allies and family, and encouraged the Marcos Jr. administration to continue to provoke China in the South China Sea.
For example, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the conditions for the Philippines to activate the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty", and US Secretary of Defense Austin has clearly explained that as long as China's actions in the South China Sea cause the death of Philippine military personnel, then the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" will be triggered.
In fact, there is only one practical significance of this series of actions, that is, the United States has recreated a bunch of "cards" in its hands, and the Sino-US military work conference has also taken good insurance to prevent China from directly flipping the table when it does not play. Then it's time for the United States to play its cards, and Austin called, which is essentially the process of playing cards.
It has to be said that the United States has already played a perfect game of "making cards in the void", and the United States wants to use these newly created "cards" to pressure China to compromise, and the United States will benefit from them. But what about the result? It just didn't work out, and the press release made that clear.
US military aircraft
In the future, the United States will certainly play a few more rounds of this card, but the result is already doomed, because we will not take half a step back on the core interests of territorial sovereignty.
This is not only to exert pressure on China to be tough and not to back down, but also to cheer up the "Taiwan independence" forces on the island, and less than 24 hours after the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers, a US P-8A "Poseidon" maritime patrol plane used for antisubmarine missions sailed through the Taiwan Strait and hyped it up. The U.S. said the mission demonstrated U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
With regard to the provocative actions of the US military, China's Eastern Theater immediately organized fighter planes to monitor and monitor the US plane's transit operations, and dealt with them in accordance with laws and regulations.
Finally, from the defense minister's phone call to the passage of military planes through the Taiwan Strait, this highlights the double-standard attitude of the United States in its strategy of containing China; on the one hand, it hopes to strengthen bilateral communication, and on the other hand, it is secretly stabbing its allies in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and even the East China Sea, which has gradually become a habitual method of the United States.