● Reporter Guo Yuandan ● Special reporter of this newspaper Ren Zhong Liu Yupeng
On the evening of the 16th, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the request. This is the first formal dialogue between the Chinese and US defense ministers in nearly 18 months. Foreign media quoted senior US defense officials as saying that regular military talks with China "are an important priority for us" and help "prevent competition from turning into conflict." Experts interviewed by the "Global Times" reporter on the 17th believe that the phone call can be regarded as a full resumption of communication between the Chinese and US militaries. But if we want to talk about the possibility of face-to-face talks between Chinese and US defense ministers, it depends on whether the US side can match its words with deeds. What has aroused the attention of the outside world is that a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol plane sailed through the Taiwan Strait on 17 August and openly hyped it. In addition, the US military recently deployed a new land-based missile launch system "Typhon" in the northern part of the Philippines, a move that is seen as "countering China." In a telephone call on 16 July, Dong Jun stressed that the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never let anything go wrong with all "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external connivance and support. He also said that the United States should earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. Recently, China and the United States have had frequent high-level contacts and exchanges in the diplomatic, military, economic and other fields. Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that this trend itself is of positive significance, but given that the US side often "says one thing and does another", the communication between China and the United States is bound to be full of twists and turns.
Contact between the two militaries "there will be more this year"
Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" recalled on the 17th that the last time Austin had an important exchange with the Chinese defense minister was in November 2022. According to the Associated Press, the call on the 16th lasted more than an hour.
Dong Jun said: The military field is the key to ensuring the implementation of the consensus reached by the heads of state, stabilizing the development of bilateral relations, and preventing the occurrence of major crises. The Chinese and US militaries should explore ways to get along, regard peace as the priority, stability as the priority, and trust as the basic principles of exchanges, and build a relationship between the two militaries that is free from conflict and non-confrontation, open and pragmatic cooperation, and gradually accumulate mutual trust on the basis of equality and respect, so as to truly serve as a stable cornerstone for the development of bilateral relations.
Qatar's Al Jazeera said on the 17th that China and the United States are committed to improving relations between the two countries. Since then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, the military relations between China and the United States have actually been in a state of "stagnation". At the San Francisco meeting in November last year, the Chinese and US heads of state agreed to resume high-level communication between the two militaries, a working meeting between the Chinese and US defense ministries, a meeting of the Sino-US maritime military security consultation mechanism, and a telephone call between the leaders of the Chinese and US military theaters on the basis of equality and respect. In December last year, Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission and chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, had a video call with Brown Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military. In January this year, the 17th Sino-US Defense Ministry Working Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. Earlier this month, China and the United States resumed maritime military security consultations and dialogues.
The Financial Times reported on the 17th, citing a senior U.S. defense official, that the phone call on the 16th and other U.S. and Chinese military contacts "provide us with an opportunity to prevent competition from turning into conflict through frank exchanges of mutual concerns." CNN quoted a U.S. defense official as saying on the 16th that the call was "an important step, but it certainly shouldn't be the last step, and I think there will be more this year." According to a press release published on the website of the US Department of Defense, Austin emphasized the importance of keeping the channels of communication between the two militaries open during the call.
"China's core interests must not be compromised"
Experts interviewed by the Global Times on the 17th said that if the Chinese and US defense ministers are confirmed to attend this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, then the possibility of them holding face-to-face talks in Singapore has increased significantly. Of course, there are still uncertainties about this, which is mainly related to the next actions of the US side. An expert who studies Sino-US military relations told reporters that the Chinese side's remarks during the phone call made clear the premise and requirements for communication between the Chinese and US militaries, and showed that the US side is well aware of the small actions of saying one thing and doing another. China urges the US side to match its words with deeds.
From the information released by the Pentagon, we can see some of the thoughts of the US side. A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said Austin's call "emphasized the importance of respecting freedom of navigation on the high seas as guaranteed by international law, particularly in the South China Sea." The U.S. press release also shows that Austin mentioned the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Assurances" when reiterating that the U.S. pursues a one-China policy. This argument attempts to blur, hollow out and distort the one-China principle. Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times. In addition, Senior Colonel Li Xi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater of the People's Liberation Army, said that on the 17th, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol plane sailed through the Taiwan Strait and openly hyped it. The Eastern Theater organized fighter planes to monitor and guard the US plane's transit operations, and dealt with them in accordance with laws and regulations.
Dong Jun stressed in a phone call on 16 June that the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests, and China's core interests must not be damaged. The Chinese People's Liberation Army will never let anything go wrong with all "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external connivance and support. At present, the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable, and regional countries have the willingness, wisdom and ability to solve the problem. The US side should clearly recognize China's firm position, earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and the stability of China-US and militaries.
The above-mentioned expert who studies Sino-US military relations told the "Global Times" reporter that on the Taiwan issue and the South China Sea issue, China and the United States have shown a-for-tat posture. The resolute attitude of the Chinese defense minister is aimed at making the US clear about China's determination and will, and also making the relevant parties to the dispute understand China's red lines, so as to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations. In an interview with the Global Times, Zhuo Hua, an expert on international affairs at the School of International Relations of Beijing University of Foreign Chinese, said that if Sino-US military relations are to be stable and far-reaching in the future, the key lies in whether the US military can truly abide by the principle of Sino-US exchanges and respect China's territorial sovereignty and national interests in its actions.
The outside world has noted that Qiu Kaiming, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with US State Department Assistant Secretary for Asia-Pacific Affairs Kangda and White House National Security Council Senior Director for China Affairs Beshalan and their entourage on 15 July, and expounded China's principled stand on the Taiwan issue. "Lianhe Zaobao" said on the 17th that this "rare meeting" shows the importance of the Taiwan Strait issue to the trend of Sino-US relations in the coming period.
According to the US "Navy News" website, the US Army's new land-based missile launch system "Typhon" appeared for the first time in the first island chain, and this system mainly used to launch "Tomahawk" cruise missiles or "Standard"-6 missiles to attack ground targets was deployed on the Philippine island of Luzon, and the deployment was part of the two-week "Shield" military exercise between the United States and the Philippines. Some analysts say that the system is one of the core elements that make up the US Army's new multi-domain task force, which is mainly used to deal with the so-called "Sino-Russian threat".
According to AFP, the United States has been working to strengthen defense cooperation with allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China's growing influence. But at the same time, Washington wants to keep the lines of communication open with Beijing to prevent tensions from spiraling out of control. Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post" quoted former US Navy Officer Bradford as saying on the 17th that if the situation in the South China Sea "develops in a direction that neither side wants," then the communication channels between the Chinese and US militaries can "provide options" for easing the situation, and "it is difficult to build these channels at a critical juncture, and the region should be relieved that they have been restored." However, analysts believe that the overall situation in the South China Sea will not change, and relevant countries will not adjust their strategies on the South China Sea issue.
Expert: China-US communication will be full of twists and turns
The recent interaction between China and the United States has frequently aroused public attention. As soon as Kangda and Beshalan concluded their visit to China, the US side has already announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China soon. On the same day that the Chinese and US defense ministers made a video call, the fourth meeting of the China-US Economic Working Group and the fourth meeting of the China-US Financial Working Group were held in Washington, D.C., and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with the Chinese delegation. According to the South China Morning Post, the U.S.-China Economic Working Group meeting discussed topics such as "balanced growth". The U.S.-China Financial Working Group meeting discussed topics such as anti-money laundering. Yellen said on the 16th that under the instructions of US President Joe Biden, she focused on strengthening communication with China.
Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 17th that the frequent interaction between China and the United States in recent times is conducive to better managing differences and helping the United States to form a correct understanding and judgment of its China policy. However, the relevant statements and measures of the US side show that its sincerity in communication and exchanges with China is insufficient, and the starting point is more to make its allies more confident in the US handling of relations with China, so that they can more boldly follow the pace of US strategic competition. Li Haidong believes that exchanges between China and the United States at all levels are of positive significance, but in view of the fact that the US side often says one thing and does another, the communication between the two sides is bound to be full of twists and turns. ▲