China ‘justified’ in cancelling defence talks with US, Washington pushing blame as a tactic, says Wang Yi

Chinese defence ministry says China cancelled dialogues with the US because Washington had stirred up tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
After Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, China’s foreign minister says US is ‘finding excuses to cover up its wrong deeds and passing the responsibility to others’

US-China relations

Teddy Ng

Published: 5:00pm, 8 Aug 2022

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Beijing has hit back at criticism from the United States that cancelling defence dialogues with Washington was irresponsible, with China saying the US was trying to shift blame.

The Chinese defence ministry said in a statement on Monday that China was justified in cancelling the defence dialogues with the US because Washington had stirred up tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

China announced the cancellation of the dialogues on Friday as retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan this month. The cancelled events include China-US theatre commanders talks, China-US defence policy coordination talks and the China-US military maritime consultative agreement meetings.

02:46

Mainland China launches largest military drill in the Taiwan Strait after Pelosi’s visit

Politico reported on Friday, citing three people familiar with the matter, that top Chinese military officials did not return calls from their American counterparts last week.

The report quoted officials and experts as saying that the ghosting of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and joint chiefs chairman General Mark Milley was a short-sighted and reckless move that increased the risk of escalation in an already tense situation.

Without confirming the report, the Chinese defence ministry said it needed sincerity for communications between the two militaries to be established.

“The US is creating a crisis, but on the other hand it is also saying it wants to manage the crisis. It is also finding excuses to cover up its wrong deeds and passing the responsibility to others. We firmly oppose it,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

“China’s relevant countermeasures are a necessary warning to the provocation of the United States and Taiwan, and the legitimate defence of national sovereignty and security is completely reasonable and appropriate.”

Beijing continues unprecedented drills around Taiwan

The sabre-rattling between China and the US escalated as mainland China conducted three days of military drills encircling Taiwan. White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that cutting down communication at a time of crisis was “an irresponsible act”.

But Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US had committed three mistakes over Taiwan.

“The US is deliberately undermining peace across the Taiwan Strait. It is using a tactic of creating a problem first, then using it to realise its own strategic end,” Wang said during his visit to Bangladesh on Sunday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

“There are signs that the US is trying to repeat its old tricks in planning Pelosi’s visit, and is taking the opportunity to increase its military deployment in the region, which deserves all parties’ high vigilance and firm resistance.”

04:45

Taiwanese president calls mainland China military exercises ‘irresponsible’ as PLA missiles fly

Wang reiterated that Pelosi’s visit was an infringement of China’s sovereignty and supported pro-independence forces on the self-ruled island.

“The Speaker of the US House of Representatives publicly supported and joined forces with separatist forces, becoming an enemy of Chinese people,” he said.

Live-fire drills around Taiwan provide insight into PLA capabilities

Observers had said cancelling defence dialogues would elevate the risk of accidental military conflict between China and the US.

There have been close military encounters from time to time between China and the US over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, raising concerns of a clash.

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