China snubs U.S. military outreach ahead of expected Blinken visit

China rejected a U.S. offer to hold talks to resolve the conflict militarily following an unsafe aerial encounter between Chinese and U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea last month.

A phone call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, scheduled for Friday was canceled because Beijing refused to participate, according to a U.S. diplomatic source who spoke in the background while discussing the sensitive issue.

After the Pentagon was questioned about Austin’s contacts with China’s foreign minister, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Miners told VOA that the last time Secretary Austin spoke with the Republic of China (PRC) foreign minister was in November.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is expected to visit China in a few weeks. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told VOA on Thursday that Blinkens’ talks with senior Chinese officials will include areas where competition is premised, areas where the relationship between the two countries may even be hostile, and our approach, but Specific details of the trip were not discussed. Responsible stewardship of these areas can be ensured, and we can seek and even deepen cooperation in these areas.

The top U.S. diplomat is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s top diplomat and Communist Party Politburo member Wang Yi, and newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Beijing’s special envoy to Washington.

Unsafe incidents in the South China Sea

The U.S. military said that on December 21, pilots of Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jets conducted unsafe maneuvers while intercepting U.S. Air Force RC-135 fighter jets in the South China Sea, forcing them to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in the South China Sea. international airspace.

China later refuted the U.S. military’s claims. The Chinese spokesperson said that the United States violated international law and accused the United States of misleading public opinion.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory, a claim the United States says is broad and illegal. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also dispute parts of the South China Sea.

US-China Military Talks

U.S. officials have encouraged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to use communication channels under the so-called Military Maritime Consultative Agreement mechanism to improve operational security in the air and at sea.

“We are disappointed that the PLA has canceled the MMCA in 2022, but encourage our PLA counterparts to join us in the MMCA meeting in 2023,” Pentagon spokesman Minas said.

Austin last spoke to Wei during the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Plus meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in late November. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Mr Wei will retire in March. Li Shangfu, a new member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission (CMC), is widely considered to be the next defense minister of the People’s Republic of China. Li is the former head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, a position that has given him direct influence over the modernization of the Chinese military.

In September 2018, Li was sanctioned by the United States for purchasing military products from Russia.