The U.S. refuses to withdraw from the South China Sea, and China's rhetoric is unusual, and Biden sent people to China for a face-to-face interview at a critical moment. In the face of the "small moves" made by the United States and its allies in the South China Sea, how has China responded? What does the United States, which has sent people to China, plan to talk about with the Chinese side?
On the evening of 16 April, Defense Minister Dong Jun held a video call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the request, which was also the first official telephone conversation between Chinese and US defense ministers after 18 months. In view of the fact that the Biden administration has just made a series of inappropriate remarks on the situation in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait at the first summit of leaders of the United States, Japan and the Philippines, it is widely believed that Austin, who took the initiative to call China, was out of consideration for managing the relationship between the two militaries and avoiding the two sides from "misfire".
It is worth mentioning that when talking about the South China Sea issue, Defense Minister Dong Jun's wording is quite unusual. Dong Jun stressed that countries in the region have the will, wisdom and ability to solve problems. 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.
From the above statements, it is not difficult to see that China firmly opposes the Biden administration's move to "rely on" the South China Sea and insist on interfering in the affairs of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China hopes that the US side will understand that China and other ASEAN countries are capable of resolving the issue of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and there is no need for the US side to "fan the flames". If the US continues to insist on going its own way and "endorse" the Philippine vessel's cross-border provocation under the banner of freedom of navigation, China will respond with concrete actions and resolutely defend its sovereignty over territorial waters.
Some analysts believe that as soon as the Chinese and US defense ministers resumed dialogue, China expressed an unusual attitude on the South China Sea issue, which is likely to be in response to the deepening defense cooperation between the United States and its Asia-Pacific allies. In order to coordinate the relationship between the Chinese and US militaries and avoid further escalation of the situation in the South China Sea, China needs to make the US understand that it is never China that undermines the stability of the situation in the South China Sea, but the United States, which is "adding fuel to the fire" behind the scenes. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea cannot be undermined, and no matter what small moves the United States and the Philippines and other countries make, China is unlikely to make concessions.
Although it is difficult to say whether the US side has listened to China's "kind words and persuasions," what is certain is that Washington does intend to repair the relations between the two militaries and promote the steady resumption of dialogue and consultation between the two militaries. This can be seen from the 17th China-US Defense Department Working Meeting held at the beginning of this year, as well as the 2024 China-US Maritime Military Security Consultation Mechanism and Working Group Meeting held in early April. Now, just after the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers ended, the Biden administration is about to send someone to China for a face-to-face interview, which undoubtedly shows the "sincerity" of the US side in communication.
According to the official announcement of the Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese Navy will host the Western Pacific Naval Forum and the 19th Annual Meeting in Qingdao, Shandong Province from April 21 to 24, when the navies of 29 countries, including Australia, Cambodia, the United States, Japan, and Russia, will send representatives to participate.
In the context of the international security situation, maritime security cooperation issues, and the attention of more and more countries, the forum hosted by China has provided an opportunity for the navies of various countries to communicate and deepen cooperation, and also given the US side the possibility of face-to-face talks. Some analysts have pointed out that the US delegation is probably also to talk with the Chinese side about the "contradictions" between the two navies.
Considering that the annual US-Philippine "shoulder-to-shoulder" exercise is about to kick off and that it will coincide with the annual meeting of the Naval Forum, the possibility of the US side discussing relevant content with the Chinese side cannot be ruled out. After all, the "confrontation" between China and the United States in the waters of the South China Sea is inseparable from the navy, and the United States should indeed give China a reasonable "explanation" to avoid the outbreak of contradictions between the Chinese and US navies.