WASHINGTON/BEIJING - Brief smiles and handshakes by US and Chinese military leaders at a luxury hotel in Singapore on Friday (June 2) belie a deep freeze in communications between the two armed forces that is becoming a growing worry at the Pentagon. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sought a proper meeting with his Chinese counterpart at the annual Shangri-la...
WASHINGTON/BEIJING - Brief smiles and handshakes by US and Chinese military leaders at a luxury hotel in Singapore on Friday belie a deep freeze in communications between the two armed forces that is becoming a growing worry at the Pentagon.
The US military has responded by pushing for open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts - both at senior and working levels - to mitigate the risk of potential flare-ups, something it has long advocated. "However, now the US says it wants to speak to the Chinese side while seeking to suppress China through all possible means and continue imposing sanctions on Chinese officials, institutions and companies," the statement said.
While neither country wants an accidental military clash, China believes the US military is operating in its sphere of influence, including in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.As a result, China's leaders don't believe it's in their interest to use military talks to lower US anxieties, said Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
Then there is China's view of how military talks fit into the broader US-China relationship. The United States may want to keep security-related discussions on a separate track, but Chinese leaders would rather keep the focus on trade and economic issues. From that perspective, military talks are something to bargain with.
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