After a lapse of 18 months, the highest-ranking military officials of China and the United States contacted each other for the first time, and less than 24 hours later, the "bell" of the People's Daily rang again, releasing an unusual signal.
During this period, the interaction between the top level of China and the United States has increased considerably. The heads of state of China and the United States and the Chinese and US foreign ministers not only had a phone call, but also US Treasury Secretary Yellen, Assistant Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific Affairs Kangda, and White House National Security Council Senior Director for China Affairs Berthalan have also visited China one after another, and Blinken has recently sought opportunities to visit China.
Not only that, in the past two days, the defense ministers of China and the United States have also been in contact. It is reported that on Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a video call to our defense minister, Dong Jun, which was also the first substantive meeting between the Chinese and US defense ministers after 18 months. The last time was in 2022, when Austin and my then-Secretary of Defense Wei Fenghe held talks in Cambodia.
You must know that after the outbreak of the "balloon incident" last year, the contact between the Chinese and US militaries was also severed. It was not until the meeting of the heads of state in San Francisco that there was only a small amount of contact between the officials of the two militaries. But for more than a year, there were almost no formal exchanges between the defense ministers of the two countries. This is the first time that Dong Jun has been in contact with a US official since he became defense minister, so this video call has also attracted attention from all walks of life.
The focus of the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers is still on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Dong Jun once again emphasized China's position to the United States, and he bluntly said that the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests and must not be damaged. The PLA will resolutely crack down on "Taiwan independence separatist activities."
On the South China Sea issue, Dong Jun said that regional countries have the wisdom and ability to solve the problem, and the United States should earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. The implication is that the United States is asked not to meddle in the South China Sea issue. In addition, Dong Jun also pointed out the direction for Sino-US military relations.
Dong Jun bluntly said that the Chinese and US militaries should follow the principles of valuing peace, valuing stability, and trust, and build an open and pragmatic relationship of non-conflict and non-confrontation on the basis of equality and respect. At the same time, the relationship between the two militaries should also be an important cornerstone for the development of Sino-US relations.
Austin avoided the importance of guaranteeing the so-called "freedom of navigation on the high seas", and also stressed the importance of keeping the channels of dialogue open between the Chinese and US militaries. It is enough to see from Austin's remarks that the United States has never shown a frank attitude and due sincerity in its dealings with China.
What's more, neither the Taiwan Strait issue nor the South China Sea issue has anything to do with the United States, and it is not their turn to point fingers. It is precisely because of the involvement and stoking of fire by the United States again and again that the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea has become more and more complicated. It is worth mentioning that less than 24 hours after the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers, the People's Daily also published the "bell" article again.
The title of the "Bell" article is "Manipulating Group Politics to Endanger Regional Peace and Stability," and the article also focuses on the joint statement recently issued by the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. You must know that the "bells" column of the People's Daily is actually a way for China to warn the outside world.
As soon as the "bell" article is published, it will inevitably mean that there is a major event of great concern to the Chinese side. Looking at the "bells" in the past two years, many of the articles related to China-US relations and the South China Sea issue are related. This shows that China is quite dissatisfied with the repeated manipulation of the South China Sea issue by the United States.
It is also because the United States has been constantly provoking on issues concerning China's core interests in recent years, and the development of Sino-US military relations has also been quite bumpy. The United States should also fulfill its commitments and take actions to maintain the normal development of relations between the two militaries, which is also the most effective way to avoid miscalculations.
The Chinese side has made it clear what should be said, but the trend of the relations between the two militaries in the future will mainly depend on the attitude and practice of the United States.