Beijing:
Any try to include China is “mission impossible”, the country’s defence ministry warned the US on Thursday, as the Biden administration operates to shore up its Asian alliances against Beijing.
Military tensions involving the two superpowers worsened below former US President Donald Trump, who adopted an aggressive stance on regional flashpoints such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China at the very same time poured billions into revamping its military, in line with President Xi Jinping’s ambitions to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a completely modernised, “world-class” fighting force by 2050.
“The facts show that to contain China is mission impossible, and will only end up in shooting yourself in the foot,” warned defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian on Thursday.
“Sino-US military relations are currently at a new historic starting point” with the arrival of the Biden administration, mentioned Wu, urging the US to adopt a “non-confrontational, mutually respectful, win-win mentality.”
Tensions involving the two superpowers have shown no sign of abating below the Biden administration, which deployed groups of warships, like a US aircraft carrier, to the South China Sea more than the weekend.
China has increasingly asserted its presence in the disputed area in current years, aggressively expanding its territory by way of man-produced islands and reefs, substantially to the chagrin of Southeast Asian neighbours with rival claims.
In response, the Trump administration regularly sent warships close to islands controlled by Beijing in “freedom of navigation operations” which China has dismissed as mere posturing.
Washington has sought to firm up ties with Asian nations this week, with US President Joe Biden reaffirming his administration’s “unwavering commitment” to defend Japan, like the disputed Senkaku Islands claimed by China, in a Wednesday contact with the country’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The new US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin III, also discussed regional safety threats in current calls with counterparts in South Korea, Australia and India — the latter two have noticed deteriorating ties with China.
In response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday dismissed the US-Japan safety alliance as a “relic of the Cold War”, and mentioned that disputes in the South China Sea should really be resolved involving “countries directly involved”, and not these outdoors the area.
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