No need for conflict, the world is big enough for China and the US to develop together

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu said on June 4 that Beijing seeks dialogue rather than confrontation with the United States, warning that any conflict between the two countries would bring “unbearable disaster.”

Speaking at Asia's top security summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is taking place in Singapore, Mr. Lee pointed out that the relationship between the two superpowers affects global strategic stability and the world is large enough for China and the US to develop together.

“China and the United States have different systems and are different in many different ways,” he said in his first major international speech since being appointed China's defense minister in March.

“However, this should not prevent the two sides from seeking common ground and common interests to develop bilateral relations and deepen cooperation,” he said.

“It is undeniable that a serious conflict or confrontation between China and the US would be an unbearable disaster for the world,” the minister said.

World - No need for conflict, the world is big enough for China and the US to develop together — Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu speaks on the final day of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, June 4, 2023. Photo: Korea Times

Relations between Washington and Beijing are at an all-time low over a range of issues, including espionage allegations, trade tensions, restrictions on semiconductor exports and the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, the most contentious and sensitive topics remain Taiwan (China) and the South China Sea.

“China is committed to the path of peaceful development, but we will never hesitate to defend our legitimate rights and interests, let alone sacrifice our core national interests,” Mr. Li said at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue.

China's defense minister also took a veiled swipe at Washington, saying that “certain countries” were intensifying the arms race and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

“A Cold War mentality is now on the rise, significantly increasing security risks,” he said. “Mutual respect should prevail over bullying and hegemony.

“In essence, efforts to promote a NATO-like (alliance) in the Asia-Pacific are a way to kidnap countries in the region and exaggerate conflicts and confrontations, which will only push the Asia-Pacific into a spiral of disputes and conflicts,” China's top security official said.

The World - No need for conflict, the world is big enough for China and the US to develop together (Figure 2). — US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at the first plenary session of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 3, 2023. Photo: Gazette

In a speech earlier on June 3 at Asia's top security forum organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rebuked China for refusing military talks, leaving the two superpowers deadlocked over differences.

Mr. Li, who has been on the U.S. sanctions list since 2018 for arms sales to Russia, shook hands with Mr. Austin at dinner on June 2, but the two top security officials of China and the United States have not had any in-depth discussions, despite Washington's repeated requests for more military exchanges.

“I am deeply concerned that China is unwilling to engage more seriously in better mechanisms for managing crises between our two militaries,” Austin said at the event in Singapore. “The more we communicate, the more we can avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to crisis or conflict . ”

Minh Duc (According to Al Jazeera, DW)

Source