China’s PLA open to good relations with US military, if Chinese sovereignty is respected
- US spying and provocations on Taiwan and South China Sea among reasons fuelling military tensions, Chinese defence ministry says
- China military threat held up by some Americans is false ‘paranoia of persecution’, says ministry spokesman
02:25
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden call for mutual respect and peaceful China-US coexistence
These were actions “for which it was reasonable for China to resolutely respond in kind”, Wu told a regular press conference in Beijing.
“As we have said many times, China has principles for the development of relations between the two militaries, which is that China’s sovereignty, dignity and core interests cannot be violated.”
As geopolitical rivalry intensifies in the region, China has consistently complained about the US Navy’s frequent “freedom of navigation” operations near Chinese-controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, as well as increased spying activities in coastal waters.
However, Taiwan is the issue that has caused the most friction in recent months.
As Beijing stepped up warplane sorties into the island’s air defence zone, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed last month that American troops had been training the island’s military.
“On the Taiwan issue in particular, China has no room for compromise and the US should not have any illusions,” Wu said.
01:16
Don’t ‘play with fire’: Mainland China tells US for inviting Taiwan to democracy summit
Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province which broke away after the 1946-49 civil war, and has never renounced the possibility of using the PLA for a “forced reunification”.