“We want to take this in a very sober and very deliberate way. We do not underestimate the difficulties we have had in our bilateral relationship. The fact that this is the first meeting at ministerial level in almost three years is very significant.”
The challenges of restoring the relationship have been exposed, however, in a direct speech by Wei on Sunday here, while Marles denounced China’s intimidating behavior and military build-up in the South China Sea.
General Wei Fenghe addresses the Shangri-La dialogue summit in Singapore on Sunday. Credit: AP
He accused Australia of interfering in the affairs of others in the South China Sea while claiming that the United States and its allies were trying to hijack the Indo-Pacific region and target Beijing with exclusive blocs such as the Quad and AUKUS.
In an hour-long appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue Defense Summit in Singapore on Sunday, China’s Minister of State and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe also stated that the People’s Liberation Army he would not hesitate to “fight to the end” if he pushes himself into a confrontation. or if Taiwan tried to secede from the mainland.
Wei’s comments followed speeches at Saturday’s summit by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Marles.
Austin had cited the “dangerous” interception by the EPL late last month of an Australian patrol plane in the South China Sea, saying “we should all be concerned.”
China warned Australia after the air show that it was “acting cautiously” or facing “serious consequences” for what it considered to be threats to its sovereignty on the disputed waterway.
Asked on Sunday about Beijing’s message to Australia, Wei did not detail what he meant by serious consequences, but replied: “The question is that right now there are countries, non-regional countries, that are interfering with the problems of the South China Sea, causing problems. The South China Sea problem should be solved by the countries in the region. “
Speaking at the formation of blocs such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and AUKUS, of which Australia is a member, such as the United States, Wei said that “no country should impose its will on others or intimidate others under the pretext of multilateralism ”.
He said building “parallel systems” could only divide the world.
“We noticed Secretary Austin’s comments on the U.S. strategy for the Indo-Pacific. For us, the strategy is an attempt to build a small, exclusive group on behalf of a free Indo-Pacific and open to hijack countries in our region and target a specific country, “he said. “It’s a strategy for creating conflicts and confrontations to contain and encircle others.”
He added: “China will not be the bully. We all know who the bully is. China is not looking for hegemony.”
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Marles had previously said in an interview with Sky News that the resumption of formal dialogue with China was a possibility after he shook hands with Wei in Singapore.
Australian governments have expressed concern over the past six weeks, in particular, about the expansion of China’s influence in the South Pacific, especially with the establishment of a security pact between Beijing and the Solomon Islands.
But Wei maintained China’s development and activities on board was not a threat to other nations, and said Xi Jinping’s regime was committed to creating “a new kind of international relations based on mutual respect, justice and cooperation “.
“We will not cause problems, but we will not be angry at the provocation,” he said. “Our doctrine is that we will not attack until they attack us. If anyone dares to attack us, the PLA will not hesitate to fight and defeat the aggressor.”
The same course of action would be taken, he reiterated, if attempts were made to secure Taiwan’s independence.
China intends to reclaim the island, which it considers one of its provinces, in 2049, and Wei told delegates in Singapore that “peaceful reunification is the greatest desire of the Chinese people.”
“We will resolutely crush any attempt to pursue Taiwan’s independence,” Wei said. “If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs and fight to the end. This is the only option for China.”
The Taiwan issue has lingered in Sino-US relations over the past month, in particular after US President Joe Biden proclaimed during a visit to Japan for a Quad meeting that Washington would defend the island of any EPL attack.
But Austin has since returned to that position and on Saturday reiterated that the US position on Taiwan, which supports the preservation of the status quo, had not changed.
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Wei described the ties between the two superpowers as “at a critical and crucial time,” and called on “the United States to stop slandering and containing China, to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and to stop harming China ‘s interests. “
“China believes that a stable relationship between China and the United States serves the interests of both countries and the rest of the world,” he said.
“The confrontation will not benefit our two countries. It would be a historic and strategic mistake to insist on taking China as a threat, an adversary and even an enemy.”
In his speech in Singapore, Wei also refused to denounce Russia for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, sticking to the line China has followed since the February invasion.
“The conflict or war is the last thing China wants to see [but] we do not believe that maximum pressure and sanctions can solve the problem. In any case, they can aggravate the problems, “he said.
“China supports talks between Russia and Ukraine. We also expect the US and NATO to hold talks with Russia to create the conditions for an early ceasefire.”
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