Li Shangfu became China’s defense minister in March.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu delivered his first major speech after taking office at the Shangri-La Dialogue, in which he mentioned that a fierce conflict between China and the United States would be an “unbearable pain” for the world.
At the summit in the field of security and defense, Li Shangfu pointed out that “some countries” are intensifying the arms race in Asia.
But he said that the world is big enough to accommodate the common development of China and the United States, and the two superpowers should seek win-win cooperation.
Li Shangfu did not directly mention the United States in his speech, but said that “some countries willfully interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and regional affairs.”
He said that China “must not” allow the United States to launch “color revolutions” and proxy wars in multiple regions in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. earlier accused the Chinese destroyer of “unsafe” maneuvers when it approached a U.S. warship in the Taiwan Strait.
On Saturday (June 3), the U.S. Navy said a Chinese destroyer “unsafely” approached a U.S. warship as it passed through the Taiwan Strait with Canadian ships.
China criticized the United States and Canada for “intentionally creating troubles, deliberately provoking risks, and maliciously undermining regional peace and stability.” The United States and Canada claim that they are sailing within the scope permitted by international law.
In his speech, he stated that China would not allow the United States and its allies to “exercise navigation hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea.
Last week, Washington released a video alleging that Chinese warplanes approached U.S. military aircraft in “unnecessarily provocative” actions in the South China Sea.
China ‘is not afraid of any opponent’ on Taiwan issue
Asked about the Taiwan Strait issue, Li Shangfu said it was “countries outside the region” that were exacerbating tensions in the region.
He reiterated that the Taiwan issue is “the core of China’s core interests,” and any “virtualization” of the one-China principle is “absurd and dangerous.”
The Taiwan issue continues to be a point of contention in Sino-US relations.
He criticized Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party for “seeking independence by coercing foreign countries” and external forces for “using Taiwan to control China” to interfere in China’s internal affairs, saying that this is the root cause of tension in the Taiwan Strait.
“We are willing to strive for peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force,” Li Shangfu said. “If someone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate in the slightest and will not be afraid of any opponent.” , No matter how much the price is paid, we will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Criticism of US “Cold War mentality”
Li Shangfu, who took office as China’s defense minister in March this year, accused the United States of adopting a “Cold War mentality” that “led to a significant increase in security risks.”
He mentioned the “Indo-Pacific strategy” proposed by the United States, saying that China believes that any strategy cannot “draw a line with ideology” and build an exclusive military alliance with “imaginary threats”.
He also pointed out that the essence of trying to promote “NATOization of the Asia-Pacific” is to kidnap regional countries and exaggerate conflicts and confrontations, which will only plunge the region into a vortex of division, disputes and conflicts.
Sino-US dialogue did not take place
Li Shangfu made the above remarks while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. This is the only annual security and defense summit in the Asia-Pacific region.
The United States imposed sanctions on Li Shangfu in 2018 over Russian arms purchases. In protest, Beijing has recently rejected several requests by the two defense ministers to talk.
image source,HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who was sanctioned by the United States in 2018, declined an invitation to meet with US Defense Secretary Austin.
At the summit in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accused China of refusing to engage in military discussions.
Austin and Li Shangfu shook hands and talked briefly at the opening dinner of the summit on Friday (June 2), but reports indicated that there was no substantive exchange.
A member of the Chinese delegation told Agence France-Presse that lifting the U.S. sanctions on Li Shangfu was a prerequisite for dialogue.
Some experts say that neither the United States nor China is interested in genuine communication with the other.
US defense chief criticizes China
Earlier, Austin delivered a speech entitled “U.S. Leadership in the Indo-Pacific Region” at the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit, expressing “deep concern” about China’s reluctance to participate in military crisis management.
US Secretary of Defense Austin said, “The more we talk, the more we can avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to crises or conflicts.”
He emphasized that a war in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating and would affect the global economy in ways “that we cannot imagine.”
He criticized China’s “an alarming number of dangerous intercepts of US and allied aircraft” in international airspace, and reiterated that the US will support allies and partners against “coercion and bullying”.
He also pointed out that the United States is firmly committed to maintaining the status quo in Taiwan, “conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable,” and will maintain a strong deterrent force of the United States.
A senior U.S. State Department official has arrived in Beijing for a week of wide-ranging talks despite the diplomatic wrangling between the U.S. and China.
Tensions have flared between Washington and Beijing in recent years over a range of issues, including China’s claim to Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea are a major security issue in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meeting with the British and German Defense Ministers
Li Shangfu held bilateral talks with the British, German defense ministers and EU representatives during the weekend summit.
EU Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Josep Borrell said the two sides had a constructive dialogue, while German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called on China to stop recruiting retired German pilots to train Chinese fighter divisions.
The German Defense Minister told Agence France-Presse that Li Shangfu did not deny this statement during the talks, but tried to downplay the importance of this incident from his perspective.
In addition, Li Shangfu also had talks with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace (Ben Wallace), who expressed to the Chinese side the British view on issues such as the Hong Kong democracy movement, international freedom of navigation, Uyghur human rights, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait.