Behind the scenes, China and the US are engaged in dialogue
- The two countries’ defence chiefs may have failed to formally meet at a security conference in Singapore, but exchanges are ongoing at other levels to cool tensions
A handshake between the defence ministers of China and the United States may have broken the ice at a major Asian security conference and kept alive hopes of a meeting just between the two on the sidelines.
For the meeting to happen, though, the US would have had to agree to lift sanctions imposed on Li Shangfu five years ago over Russian arms purchases, which surely no longer served any useful purpose. Such a meeting would have been a highlight of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
It was not to be, ending any prospect of meaningful dialogue at the top level between the world’s two most powerful militaries, seen as critical to avoiding misunderstandings.
Instead they reverted to familiar rhetoric.
In his first public address to an international audience since becoming defence minister, Li accused “some countries” of launching proxy wars, after his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, vowed to support allies against “bullying”. The two remained as far apart as ever on flashpoints Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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At about the same time, however, without any fanfare, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink began a visit to Beijing to discuss key issues in the deeply troubled bilateral relationship.
This lower-profile, but high-level contact between the two sides is not the first recently. Hopefully, they will help pave the way for a thaw in the bilateral freeze.
Kritenbrink, the most senior American official confirmed to have visited China since the alleged Chinese spy balloon incident in February, met with Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu.
Both the foreign ministry in Beijing and the State Department in Washington described the talks as candid, with the US adding “productive” and the Chinese side “constructive” and “fruitful”.
That is reassuring, given that China said it “stated its solemn position on Taiwan and other major issues of principle”.
Washington said they “exchanged views on the bilateral relationship, cross-strait issues, and other matters”. The two sides agreed to continue to keep communicating.
The trip followed reports of a secret visit to China by CIA director William Burns, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao’s recent meetings with US counterpart Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi’s talks with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Austria.
While the “main event” at the Shangri-La conference did not eventuate, the bottom line is that speeches by the two most-watched participants were not pitched at new lows, but reflected the status quo.
Unhappiness may prevail over a range of issues including Taiwan and the South China Sea, but tensions can be better managed through a willingness to talk and reach out.
