With China Refusing To Meet Pentagon Chief, U.S.-China Tensions Expected To Be on Display at ‘Shangri-La’ Summit

The top American and Chinese defense officials should be rubbing shoulders, even exchanging greetings, in Singapore this weekend, but they may not be talking one-on-one about the worsening security issues between their two countries.That is largely because the Chinese defense minister, Li Shangfu, apparently sees no chance of a conversation with the American defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, accomplishing anything beyond what they will say for all to hear.Messrs. Austin and Li will give speeches Saturday at what is called the Shangri-La Dialogue, which has been held annually for 20 years at Singapore’s lavish Shangri-La Hotel. They will lay out quite contrary but well-known views on the defense of their national interests.China’s Global Times, published by the party newspaper People’s Daily, made clear their different perspectives in previewing the conference.America has been “continuing to hype up the ‘China’s threat’ at the defense summit” while “ramping up efforts to maintain its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific by accelerating to introduce a NATO-like security structure,” the paper said.“In sharp contrast,” it said, “China will actively promote a sustainable, balanced and comprehensive security initiative amid the growingly tense US-China rivalry and the ongoing Ukraine crisis.” Everyone then should know “who is the biggest troublemaker in the region.”On that note, Beijing has formally declined the Pentagon’s request for a sit-down between Messrs. Austin and Li — a response that Mr. Austin diplomatically called “unfortunate.” Advance comments from both sides showed there’s little chance of the Shangri-La Dialogue softening tensions — or of Mr. Li changing his mind about a personal chat with Mr. Austin.On the way to Singapore after meeting the Japanese defense minister, Yasukazu Hamada, Mr. Austin made clear “we are deeply concerned by [China’s] coercive behavior and its attempts to undermine the rules-based, international order.” He said he appreciated “Japan’s assistance to Ukraine and your leadership in opposing any attempts to change the status quo by force.” The inference was plain: America and Japan both oppose China’s threats to take over the independent Chinese island province of Taiwan by force.China for its part is sure to stake out its claim to Taiwan in the strongest possible terms. Ruling out the slightest chance of a shift in China’s policy, the Global Times quoted Mr. Li as saying, “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan” and “we absolutely do not promise to abandon the use of force” against “external forces to use Taiwan to contain China.”The Taiwan question is no doubt central to the confrontation, but it goes to much larger, far-flung relationships that are not likely to change during all the yakking in Singapore. While Mr. Austin talks about America’s “leadership” in the Indo-Pacific region, Mr. Li will be discussing China’s “security initiatives.”These phrases cover the rising efforts of both countries to form alliances and relationships that ultimately define control.Washington is counting on Aukus — the Australia, United Kingdom, U.S. grouping — as well as the Quad Four, including Japan and India plus America and Britain. Neither of them rises to the level of NATO-style alliances, but both of them, along with the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, reflect and support Washington’s desire to counter China’s growing inroads in the region.Specifically, aside from Taiwan, America is deeply concerned about China’s claim to the South China Sea, where the Chinese have built air and naval bases on the tiny Spratly Islands, have been menacing Philippine fishing boats, and are ignoring Vietnam’s claims to the right to drill for natural gas on the seafloor.In one recent incident, the Americans reported a Chinese plane flew so close to an American RC-135 reconnaissance plane as to shake it up with vibrations. The Americans said their plane was “conducting safe and routine operations.”The Global Times accused Washington of “peddling the ‘China threat’ theory by hyping again China’s ‘unprofessional’ interception of a US spy plane over the South China Sea.” The Americans, it said, wanted “to shift the blame to China for ‘no planned meeting’ between the Chinese and US defense ministers at the summit.”

With China Refusing To Meet Pentagon Chief, U.S.-China Tensions Expected To Be on Display at ‘Shangri-La’ Summit

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