China Pledges to Renew Military Ties With US

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Facts

  • China's top-ranking military official Gen. Zhang Youxia announced that Beijing aims to renew military ties with the US at the three-day Xiangshan security forum on Monday, amid recent efforts to restore military-to-military lines of communication ahead of possible Biden-Xi summit.1
  • The vice chairman of China's top military body, the Central Military Commission, further stated that Beijing is committed to deepening its strategic ties with Russia and developing a military relationship with the US based on mutual respect and 'win-win cooperation.'2
  • Yet, Zhang claimed that 'some countries' stir up turmoil and interfere in regional and other nations' internal affairs to create geopolitical tensions, without specifying them. He opened the event in the absence of Li Shangfu, who was removed as China's defense minister last week.3
  • China's second-ranking military official also addressed tensions over Taiwan, vowing that Beijing will never tolerate the self-governing island to split from the mainland. It was after former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year that China suspended military communication with the US.4
  • Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who also spoke at the three-day conference, praised the China-Russia ties as an 'exemplary' model of cooperation while blaming the West for allegedly attempting to expand the Ukraine war to the Asia-Pacific region — an escalation that, he claimed, could lead to a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers.5
  • The US Dept. of Defense has sent a delegation led by official Cynthia Xanthi Carras to China's main annual military diplomacy event, which kicked off Sunday. This latest sign of resurgent communication ties comes as China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with US Pres. Joe Biden in Washington last week.6

Sources: 1Kyodo News+, 2FT, 3Taipei Times, 4Washington Post, 5South China Morning Post and 6Reuters.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by VOA. That China invited the US delegation to the gathering shows that Beijing wants to put military exchanges with Washington back on a solid footing. This is also due to the US diplomatic view that engaging in candid US-China dialogue is crucial for the stability of East Asia and the world. However, significant differences remain between the Chinese Communist Party's foreign policy and American values. PRC propaganda will exploit the delegation's attendance, and it remains to be seen how serious China really is about improving ties.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by China Daily. The US participation in this forum is the latest expression of its interest in improving strategic ties with China. Yet gestures alone will not be enough to put relations back on track. Washington's interference in China's internal affairs, particularly on the Taiwan issue, its provocations in the South China Sea, and illegal sanctions do not serve this goal. The US must realize that its two-faced tactics are leading to a dead end and that China will never bow to its coercive policy and claim to hegemony. Washington must follow through with meaningful actions of goodwill.

Predictions