(AFP) – China and the United States should build “trust” in order to co-exist, Beijing’s defence minister said on Friday, but cautioned Washington about its “words and deeds” on Taiwan. Dong Jun met US counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian regional defence summit in Malaysia, a day after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held talks in South Korea. Trump and Xi did not discuss Taiwan on Thursday, the US president said, but Dong told Hegseth the “unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an irresistible historical trend,” according to a Chinese defence ministry readout.
“The US side should be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue and take a clear-cut stance firmly opposing ‘Taiwan independence,'” Dong said. China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory. Under longstanding policy, the United States recognises only Beijing but provides weapons for the island’s self-defence. The Chinese statement also said Dong told Hegseth that their respective defence departments “should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state.” He said they should also “strengthen policy-level dialogue to enhance trust and dispel uncertainty,” and build a bilateral military relationship “characterised by equality, respect, peaceful coexistence and stable positive momentum.”
Hegseth described the meeting in the Malaysian capital as “good and constructive.” “I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and emphasized U.S. concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and towards U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said in a post on social media platform X, using a US term for the Asia-Pacific region. But he later told journalists: “I said to Admiral Dong as well, our position on Taiwan remains unchanged, and President Trump has said that as well.”
Hegseth warned earlier this year that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, remarks that drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing. “The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May, which was attended by defence officials from around the world. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite overlapping claims with its neighbours. The US Navy has regularly sent ships to conduct “freedom of navigation” transits in the region, angering Beijing.
Hegseth toned his comments down on Friday, saying that while the “United States does not seek conflict, it will continue to stoutly defend its interests and ensure it has the capabilities in the region to do so.”
But he later told Philippines Defence Minister Gilbert Teodoro that Washington shared Manila’s “concerns about China’s coercion in the South China Sea, particularly recently in the Scarborough Shoal.” Last month, the Philippine government said one person was wounded when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of a fisheries bureau ship near the shoal. China seized control of the fish-rich shoal from the Philippines after a lengthy standoff in 2012. Teodoro called China’s actions “illegal,” adding areas Beijing claimed were “deep within our exclusive economic zone and historically known as part of the Philippines.”
Hegseth also met several other top officials at a gathering of defence ministers from the 11-member ASEAN regional bloc, which was also attended by India’s Rajnath Singh. He and Singh signed a 10-year deal that will see deeper cooperation between the two nations. India will also buy US military hardware. “Our defence ties have never been stronger,” said Hegseth.
© 2024 AFP
