South China Sea: ex-US defence chief James Mattis told Beijing to play by the rules, Woodward book says

Name: More footage emerges from 2018 near collision of US and China warships in South China Sea
Uploaded: 2020-09-16T10:00:14.000Z
Duration: 1 min 30 s
Description: More footage emerges from 2018 near collision of US and China warships in South China Sea

Washington journalist details private talks between the American general and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in 2018 as tensions were rising

Mattis accused China of breaking pledge not to militarise the Spratly Islands and warned that war would be ‘extraordinarily tough’ on the Chinese

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Then US defence secretary James Mattis meets Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore in October 2018. Mattis later told Wei the whole world was watching how the two superpowers managed their differences, according to the book Rage. Photo: AP

Wendy Wu

Published: 6:00pm, 16 Sep 2020Updated: 9:40pm, 16 Sep 2020

A month before he resigned as US defence secretary, James Mattis accused Beijing of breaking its promise not to militarise the contested South China Sea and warned of grave consequences if it sought to become a dominant player in the Pacific.

That is according to famed journalist Bob Woodward’s new book released on Tuesday about the Donald Trump administration, Rage, based on interviews with many people, including 18 with Trump.

It includes rare details of private talks between Mattis and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on November 8, 2018 during Wei’s trip to the United States. Tensions were rising between Washington and Beijing over trade tariffs and the South China Sea when the pair met for a third time in six months.

Mattis had said in June that the two countries’ militaries needed to act as a stabilising force as the political temperature rose. Three months later, a Chinese destroyer nearly collided with a US warship in disputed waters off the Spratly Islands. America said the Chinese vessel had come within 41 metres (45 yards) of the US warship, while China claimed the USS Decatur had ventured into its waters.

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More footage emerges from 2018 near collision of US and China warships in South China Sea

During the 2018 visit, Mattis took the Chinese defence minister to Mount Vernon, the historic estate of America’s first president George Washington. There, he told Wei that China should play by the rules, and that the US was not afraid to fight if necessary, according to the book.