China responds to the US at the Shangri-La Dialogue

Yesterday (June 4), Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu delivered a keynote speech at the final day of the Shangri-La Dialogue. A day earlier, also speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin strongly criticized China.

Beijing strikes back

In his first speech to an international audience since taking office in March, Minister Lee said the Asia- Pacific region was facing unprecedented security challenges. He criticized the US, saying “some countries” were imposing their own rules on others through the “international rules-based order,” according to The Straits Times.

Minister Li warned that moves to promote the establishment of military alliances like NATO in the Asia- Pacific region would increase the risk of conflict and confrontation. Responding to the US accusations related to the near collision of warships of the two countries in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, Mr. Li said Beijing has no problem with "innocent passage" activities, but will prevent the use of freedom of navigation patrols to exercise hegemony and provocation.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue

According to Mr. Ly, thanks to the efforts of China and countries in the region, the situation in the East Sea is generally stable, but there are some foreign countries that are exercising hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation, wanting to stir up the sea for their own gain. He pledged to coordinate with countries in the region to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), promote negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to turn the region into a sea of ​​" peace , friendship and cooperation".

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said yesterday that the US remains concerned about the increasingly risky and coercive actions of the Chinese military in the region, AFP reported. Before the June 3 incident, the US military also criticized the dangerous actions of Chinese fighter jets against a US reconnaissance plane in the East Sea on May 26.

Call to avoid conflict

In his speech, Mr. Li used a softer tone when talking about the US-China relationship. The minister assessed that the relationship between the two countries was at a "record low" and warned that "a serious conflict or confrontation between China and the US would be an unbearable disaster for the world." He called on the US to show sincerity and take concrete actions to stabilize and prevent the bilateral relationship from deteriorating further.

Minister Li said China was willing to communicate with the US at both government and military levels, but that communication had principles. "We hope that exchanges and cooperation will be based on mutual respect. That is a very basic principle," Li said.

Earlier, the US military said China had rejected an offer to hold a dialogue between the two defense ministers on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. A senior US defense official revealed yesterday that Washington continued to propose lower-level dialogue but Beijing did not respond. A member of the Chinese delegation told AFP that the precondition was that the US lift the embargo on Minister Li.

Speaking at a discussion session yesterday afternoon, Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen affirmed that the US-China relationship is central to the stability of Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and called for maintaining official and unofficial communication channels to reduce tensions and avoid conflicts when unforeseen incidents occur.

"For Asia, the priority of government leaders must be to avoid a conflict there, at least for the next decade. Simultaneous conflicts in Europe and Asia would be a disaster for a generation," Mr. Ng Eng Hen declared.

US Assistant Secretary of State visits China

Reuters reported that US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink arrived in Beijing yesterday in an effort to promote communication, amid tense US-China relations. Accompanying Mr. Kritenbrink was Ms. Sarah Beran, senior official in charge of China and Taiwan on the White House National Security Council.

The US delegation will officially work with Chinese officials today (June 5) on "key issues in bilateral relations", the US State Department said.

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