Defense Secretary Austin says the U.S. won’t stand for bullyy from China

The Taiwan Strait: Where the U.S. stands, and where the world is concerned about the geopolitical stability – a no-go theorem

But Jing accused the U.S. of hollowing out the one-China policy, accusing Washington of supporting Taiwanese separatists without citing any evidence, and reiterating Beijing’s claim that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s sovereign territory.”

He suggested that Washington has been holding on to alliances that are “remnants of the Cold War” and establishing new pacts, like the AUKUS agreement with Britain and Australia and the “Quad” grouping with Australia, India and Japan “to divide the world into ideologically-driven camps and provoke confrontation.”

Austin sought to assure China that the U.S. remained “deeply committed” to the longstanding one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations with Taiwan, and continues to “categorically oppose unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.”

He added that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had served to underline how dangerous the world would be if big countries were able to “just invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity.”

Austin said that conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable. eterrence is strong and our job is to keep it that way. The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

It was unclear if Li, who is to address the forum on Sunday, was in the room. He did join the American defense secretary and others later for a ministerial roundtable.

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Taiwan is an island China considers to be its own, so the United States has increased congressional visits to the island. Meanwhile, China wants the U.S. to first drop its sanctions on Li, which the U.S. imposed in 2018 when Li, as then-head of the military’s equipment division, purchased Russian weapons.

The sanctions, which broadly prevent Li from doing business in the United States, do not prevent him from holding official talks, American defense officials have said.

Austin reiterated calls that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made in his opening address at the forum for China to engage in regular, direct communications to help prevent any possible conflict.

Austin said that the right time to talk was anytime. The right time to talk is at every single occasion. There is a right time to talk.

The U.S. stated that since Li became defense minister, China has declined or failed to respond to more than a dozen requests for talks with senior leaders.

He said the U.S. is committed to defusing the missile threat from North Korea, and to China’s claims on Taiwan, and that Washington has stepped up defense planning and training.

The U.S. provided millions of doses of the vaccine during the height of the epidemic and is involved in disaster relief in the region. He said it is working to combat climate change, illegal fishing and ensure that supply chains do not suffer disruptions — ticking off many issues of importance to Asian-Pacific nations.

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He stated at the International Institute for Strategic Studies forum that every country can fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows. “And every country, large or small, must remain free to conduct lawful maritime activities.”

The U.S. has been expanding its own activities around the Indo-Pacific to counter sweeping territorial claims from China, including regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the so-called Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders, Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

The proposal was treated with cautious curiosity from Southeast Asian delegates, however. Cambodia’s defense minister later also pushed for a negotiated end to the war.

“If you want to negotiate for peace in Ukraine, you are cast aside as ‘pro-Russia’.” The Indonesian diplomat said that it really constrains their options. He was not authorized to speak to the media.

Indonesia’s defense minister Prabowo Subianto proposed a plan to create a demilitarized zone between Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and the rest of Ukraine, a proposal that immediately received pushback from Ukraine’s defense minister, Olekseii Reznikov.

Swedish Defense Minister Pl Jonson, Chief of Naval Operations at Singapore-Susummi, on the Issues of Korea and Ukraine

Southeast Asian nations are not entirely swayed by the arguments for Ukraine however. Thailand and Malaysia did not criticize Russia for its invasion but they continued to court Russia.

“There’s many countries who are doing a very important contribution to Ukraine. But I think we also, at the same time, should be humble about the need also to have a strategic dialogue with the Global South,” Pål Jonson, Sweden’s defense minister, said in an interview with NPR.” Sweden is modernizing its defense budget and applying to join NATO, breaking away from its history of being neutral.

The Europeans and Ukrainians went to Singapore to support their country’s fight to expel Russian troops from its territory.

China’s military had sent naval and air forces to monitor the convoy, the country’s eastern command force said. “Relevant countries create troubles in the Taiwan Strait region, deliberately cause risks, and send wrong signals to Taiwan independence”, Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement.

He said the skill of the navy was demonstrated by the fact that the boats did not collide. The close proximity of the two ships shows a high level of professionalism. He said that coming so close and not colliding shows their professional ability.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/04/1180023276/four-takeaways-as-chinas-defense-chief-made-a-barbed-speech-at-a-singapore-summi

Why Does China’s Airspace And Waters Go Alongside Other Countries’ Airspace and Waters? “We don’t want to go along with our own territorial waters” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

He Lei toldNPR that responsibility for a future collision would lie with the U.S. If only the U.S. halted these transits, there would be no more incidents.

Li argued that the two countries should seek “common ground”. “It is undeniable that a severe conflict or confrontation between China and the U.S. will be an unbearable disaster for the world” he said.

“When president Marcos and president Xi met in Beijing, they agreed to manage differences through peaceful means and to promote freedom of navigation… While China is talking about dialogue, it’s actions show confrontation,” Jay Tristan Tarriela, the Philippines deputy chief of coast guard staff said at one of the summit’s events. Earlier this year, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard vessel of blinding the crew of a fishing vessel with a military grade laser.

The reaction from the various Southeast Asian delegations gave the impression that the family is not as united as it could be. Some said that while China talks about co-operation, its actions have a different message.

Austin touted expanded military exercises with allies and partners, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. The U.S. is also increasing the sharing of military technology with India, creating interoperability between its military systems with Japan, and is currently building a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with Australia.

Why does this happen in China’s airspace and waters? Li, China’s defense chief, said that Chinese ships and aircraft don’t go near other countries’ airspace or waters.

On Saturday, U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin rebuked China’s unwillingness to sit down for talks in his keynote speech – the same day that two warships from the U.S. and Canada jointly sailed through the Taiwan Strait after transiting through the South China Sea.

His comments point to how rising tensions between the US and China have spilled into the open with dueling speeches delivered by their defense chiefs over the weekend.

The best way to keep this from happening is to stop military vessels and aircraft from entering our airspace. “Watch out for your own territorial waters and airspace, then there will not be any problems.”

SINGAPORE – China’s new defense minister made his first international appearance on Sunday at an annual defense summit, where he delivered a speech full of thinly-veiled barbs at the U.S., calling on it to “mind your own business” after two close encounters between the country’s militaries.