China’s Defense Minister has accused the United States of trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “with the ‘the appearance of multilateralism’.
Defense Secretary General Wei Fenghe on Sunday attacked U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, dismissing his “defamatory accusation” the day before the Shangri-La dialogue that China was causing instability with his claim to the autonomous island of Taiwan and its increase in military activity in the area.
Austin had stressed the need for multilateral partnerships with the Indo-Pacific nations, which Wei suggested was an attempt to get China to a corner.
Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe speaks at a plenary session during the 19th Shangri-la Dialogue at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Asia’s annual defense and security forum. Singapore. (AP)
“No country should impose its will on others or intimidate others under the guise of multilateralism,” he said.
“The strategy is an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Indo-Pacific to hijack countries in our region and target a specific country; it is a strategy to create conflicts and confrontations to contain and encircle the others. “
China has been rapidly modernizing its military and has sought to expand its influence and ambitions in the region, has recently signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands that many fear could lead to a Chinese naval base in the Pacific, and has begun last week with a project to expand the naval port in Cambodia that could give Beijing a foothold in the Gulf of Thailand.
Last year, U.S. officials accused China of testing a hypersonic missile, a more difficult weapon to counter for missile defense systems, but China insisted it was a “routine test of a ship.” space “.
Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe speaks at a plenary session during the 19th Shangri-la Dialogue at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Asia’s annual defense and security forum. Singapore. (AP)
In response to a question about Sunday’s test, Wei was closer so far to acknowledging that it was, in fact, a hypersonic missile, saying, “As far as hypersonic weapons are concerned, many countries are developing weapons and I think No wonder China does. “
“China will develop its army,” he added. “I think it’s natural.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that China posed the “most serious long-term challenge to international order” for the United States, with its demands in Taiwan and efforts to dominate the strategic South China Sea.
The United States and its allies have responded with so-called freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and have sometimes encountered rejection from the Chinese military.
Since 2014, China has militarized the South China Sea to promote its claims to sovereignty over the Great Waterway. (AP)
Wei accused the United States of “interfering in the affairs of our region” with patrols and of “flexing its muscles by sending warships and warplanes into the South China Sea.”
China has clashed with the Philippines and Vietnam, among others, over maritime claims, and Wei said it was up to the countries in the region to find their own solutions.
“China calls for turning the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” he said. “This is the shared desire and responsibility of the countries in the region.”
Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of military force to take it, although it remains a political issue. internal.
Washington pursues a “one-China policy” that recognizes Beijing but allows for informal relations and defense ties with Taipei.
It provides weapons to Taiwan and follows a “strategic ambiguity” approach on how far it would be willing to go to defend Taiwan in the face of a Chinese invasion.
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At the same time, it does not support Taiwan’s independence.
President Joe Biden raised his eyebrows and outrage at China last month, saying the U.S. would intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked, though the White House later said the comments did not reflect a policy change.
Austin on Saturday accused China of threatening to change the status quo in Taiwan with a “steady rise in provocative and destabilizing military activity” near the island.
Wei responded Sunday that the United States does not adhere to its “one China” policy, saying it “continues to play Taiwan’s card against China.”
He said China’s “greatest desire” was for “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, but also made it clear that Beijing was willing to do whatever it took to achieve its goals.
A Chinese military H-6K bomber conducting training exercises while the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducted a South China Sea combat air patrol in 2017. (AP)
“China will definitely realize its reunification,” he said.
“The reunification of China is a great cause of the Chinese nation, and it is a historical trend that no one or no force can stop.”
He added that China “would definitely crush any attempt to pursue Taiwan independence.”
“We will not hesitate to fight, we will fight at any cost and we will fight to the end,” he said.
“This is the only option for China.”