U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and China’s Defense Minister held their first face-to-face talks in 18 months on Friday, exploring tentative steps to manage unusual military tensions. despite their opposing views on Taiwan, the South China Sea and other disputes.
The 75-minute meeting in Singapore between Mr. Austin and Admiral Dong Jun, his Chinese counterpart, took place after Biden administration officials in turn went to Beijing to negotiate trade imbalances and limits. of America over technology trade with China, China’s support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, and other sources of tension.
President Biden has made the case that the United States and China must maintain high-level communication to avoid potential crises. However, military issues remain the most intractable area of tension between the two nations and one where disagreements can erupt into conflict, especially in the Pacific, where ships and aircraft Their militaries came close to each other.
Mr. Austin and Admiral Dong discussed possible steps to prevent accidents or miscommunication from leading to conflict. The Pentagon said earlier that Mr. Austin had made a proposal for Chinese and U.S. military commanders to hold phone calls in the coming months and that he “welcomed the plan to convene a liaison working group about the crisis later this year.” statement on negotiations.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of military communication between the United States and China,” the Pentagon said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Senior U.S. Department of Defense officials told reporters that Mr. Austin made the proposal to the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr., hold calls with Chinese counterparts. The Chinese and US militaries established a crisis communications working group in 2020 to discuss ideas to defuse possible conflict, but The group only met once.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Wu Qian said Admiral Dong and Mr Austin had “agreed to strengthen communication and exchanges in the next phase”, but Colonel Wu sounded more cautious about the timing of any calls between the two parties. commander and a new crisis communications team meeting.
“Relevant departments of our two militaries are coordinating and communicating on that issue,” he said when asked about the calls.
The military competition between China and the United States, and the fear that incidents at sea could become crises, are all rooted in long-term disputes that are not easily resolved. They include China’s claims to Taiwan, the democratic island that relies on the United States for its security, and Beijing’s increasingly assertive claims to large areas of the South China Sea, which have prompted other countries to Neighbors be wary.
Pentagon Officials have also warned that the People’s Liberation Army’s military aircraft and ships are becoming increasingly aggressive and reckless in following and harassing US military ships and aircraft flying near China, along with allies such as Australia , often to gather intelligence.
Mr. Austin pressed Admiral Dong about China’s military activities around Taiwan. And Mr. Austin also signaled that the United States will continue to send military ships and aircraft into international airspace and waters near China, despite frequent harassment by the Chinese military.
“The Secretary made clear that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” said the Pentagon’s summary of the talks. Corner stated.
But Beijing rejects the idea that other countries have the right to operate military aircraft and ships near China’s coast. IN the views of its officials, Agreeing to stricter rules on encounters between aircraft and military vessels would simply give US forces greater license to reach China’s coast and collect images. and useful signals.
“China believes that being able to go to sea does not mean being able to run like crazy,” Colonel Wu told reporters. “We believe that security is mutual, not about one side having absolute security at the expense of the other side.”
For more than two years, the Pentagon has focused on supporting Ukraine and preventing risks in the Middle East while Israeli forces battled Hamas. But China’s growing military remains “Challenge the pace” In the eyes of Pentagon planners: a lasting, tectonic shift that could, if mismanaged, drag the United States into war with an armed power other nuclear gases.
The United States has by far the largest military in the world. The Pentagon’s budget remains intact about three times larger than China’s annual military spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
But Beijing does not have the same globally-spanning commitments and operations as the US military and has focused on projecting power in Asia, especially over Taiwan and in the seas where it There are territorial disputes with neighboring countries from Japan to Indonesia.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines emphasized the risks while speaking at a security forum in Singapore, where Mr. Austin and Admiral Dong met on the sidelines.
The Philippines has clashed with China over its claims in the South China Sea, in an area Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. When asked whether the Philippines would call for assistance from the US under the mutual defense treaty in case Chinese ships caused the deaths of Philippine sailors, Mr. Marcos clearly stated his expectations.
“If a Filipino citizen is killed by an intentional act, I think that is very close to what we would define as an act of war,” he told the audience of diplomats and defense officials. ”. The Philippines, he added, “will respond accordingly and I believe our treaty partners hold themselves to the same standard.”
Admiral Dong became defense minister late last year after his predecessor suddenly disappeared, appears to be caught up in expanding investigations into corruption or other wrongdoing within the People’s Liberation Army. He is considered to lack the power to make major strategic decisions.
“He is not a member of the Central Military Commission, much less the Politburo,” said Drew Thompson, a senior visiting researcher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Communist Party of China.
“This is an opportunity for the two sides to exchange long-standing views,” said Mr. Thompson, who previously served as a Pentagon official in charge of the Chinese military.
Admiral Dong’s predecessor, General Ly Thuong Phucis being sanctioned by the US and refused to hold negotiations with Mr. Austin in Singapore last year. Mr. Austin and former Admiral Dong said via a video link in April. The last time Mr. Austin held direct talks with a Chinese defense minister was in 2015 November 2022when meeting General Wei Fenghe in Cambodia.
Summing up the latest negotiations, Colonel Wu offered a familiar refrain: “It’s better to meet and talk than not at all.”
