China won’t concede an inch, Xi Jinping tells US defence chief Jim Mattis on South China Sea and Taiwan
Chinese president stands firm over disputed waters while advocating stronger inter-military relations to ‘lower scepticism and prevent misunderstanding’
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told visiting US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis that China will make no concession on its core interests, despite calling for stronger ties between the countries’ militaries.
“Our attitude is firm and clear in terms of Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, that we would not lose a single inch of the lands we inherited from our ancestors, while we would not take a single penny of others’ possessions,” Xi said to Mattis on Wednesday in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Mattis’ visit comes at a time of sharp US criticism of China’s militarisation of islands in the South China Sea and tensions over Taiwan, and a trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
China claims most of the South China Sea, and has begun to militarise outposts in the disputed waters, which the US regards as an attempt to control the world’s busiest trade route. As a result, the US navy has been conducting freedom-of-navigation operations to challenge China.
Meanwhile, Beijing is angered by the recent upgrade of US military engagement and its promises to arm Taiwan, which it sees as a breakaway province to be reunited by force if necessary.
The National Defence Authorisation Act for 2019, recently passed by the US Senate, encouraged the US military to participate in exercises with the Taiwanese military, and the Pentagon is also reportedly considering sending warships through the Taiwan Strait and increasing arms sales to Taiwan.