A conflict with the United States would be “unbearably catastrophic,” Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu said at the Shangri-La Defense Summit in Singapore on Sunday, as an incident in international waters in the Taiwan Strait unleashed US grievances.
Appointed in March, Li Shangfu delivered his first international speech. As the agency underlines Reuters, this Considered one of the region’s leading gatherings on defense and security, the Shangri-La Dialogue is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore.
“China and the US have different systems and are different in many ways,” he said. “But this should not exclude the two sides from seeking common interests to improve bilateral relations and deepen cooperation,” the Chinese minister said. “It cannot be denied that a serious confrontation or confrontation between China and the United States would be an unbearable disaster for the world.”
Issues ranging from Taiwan, US restrictions on semiconductors from China, to the Chinese spy balloon episode in the US have led to heightened tensions between the two powers.
Earlier in the day, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had criticized Beijing for refusing to hold military talks. Conversation, for Americans, is “not a reward, but a necessity”.
Li accused “some countries” of intensifying the arms race and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. “A Cold War mentality is re-emerging, which greatly increases security risks”, he declared, “Mutual respect must prevail. Bullying and supremacy”.
At the summit, many countries in the region called for Sino-US dialogue. Singapore’s Defense Minister, Ng Eng Hen, appealed to the two countries to keep both formal and informal channels of communication open.serious Countries in the region worry if relations deteriorate, forcing them to choose sides South China Morning Post.
If there are no established communication channels, a crisis or incident will open them already “too late”.
Although the US and China insist they do not want ASEAN countries [que junta dez países do Sudeste asiático] Choose a Side “ASEAN members with vivid memories of past great rivalries are deeply concerned that the deterioration of relations between these two powers will inevitably force our states to make difficult choices”.
But if Li and Austin shake hands on Friday, neither has a date.
Washington Reuters says a meeting is to be held to discuss military issues, but Beijing is refusing to do so unless he is on a list of people subject to sanctions to negotiate arms with Russia (he has been since 2018).
However, the US and Canada on the one hand and China on the other have exchanged views on an incident in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military has criticized the US and Canada for “deliberate endangerment”, while insisting the US and Canada were sailing in international waters and that the Chinese ship had carried out “unsafe” maneuvers.
Commenting on Twitter, Noah Parkin, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund, said Li was “practically international water. [do estreito] They are Chinese water” and called Li’s speech “oppositional”.
Chong Jae Ian, an expert in political science at the University of Singapore, said the approach and tone seemed lighter than previous speeches, but “the content is the same”. “This is an example of the distance between the US and the PRC [República Popular da China], which suggests that any belief in a resolution is naïve. The rivalry between the US and the PRC is here to stay,” as quoted by Reuters.
Defense Minister Helena Carreras also attended the Shangri-La meeting. Minister Lusa told the agency that Portugal wants to strengthen cooperation in the field of defense in the Indo-Pacific region, including maritime governance and new technologies, deepening ties already consolidated with Timor-Leste.
“We want to plan meetings to understand the perspectives of these other countries, deepen ties and develop more ties with these countries in the field of security.“Helena Carreras announced.