Chinese and US defence chiefs push for stable military ties and to improve cooperation
- In first direct talks since Esper took office in July, General Wei Fenghe underlines Beijing’s stand on various thorny issues, from Hong Kong to the South China Sea
- Beijing ‘upset’ by departure of Patrick Shanahan, who had left room for continuing bilateral cooperation
The defence ministers of China and the United States have pledged to maintain a stable military-to-military relationship and improve cooperation, despite Beijing being “upset” by the departure of the US defence secretary’s predecessor.
The commitment came in a video conference on Tuesday between General Wei Fenghe, a State Councillor and China’s defence minister, and Mark Esper, who took over as US defence secretary in July.
In the first direct conversation between the two defence chiefs, Wei repeated China’s positions on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan and the South China Sea, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The Chinese defence ministry said the talks were part of a push for a stable relationship between the two militaries based on a consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump in Osaka in June.
‘Grey zone’ tactics are raising risk of military conflict in the South China Sea, observers say
“[Wei indicated to Esper that] win-win cooperation is the only correct option for China and the US in working together … The two militaries must do a good job in implementing the consensus of the two leaders and continue to promote the military-to-military relationship as a ‘stabiliser’ in our bilateral ties,” Xinhua reported.