Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published:June11,2022
In a high-profile meeting on the sidelines of a key Asia security summit in Singapore on Friday, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met for their first face-to-face talks since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
Wei and his U.S. counterpart are scheduled to give separate speeches on their own country’s stances on the regional security architecture during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, a three-day summit from Friday to Sunday after a two-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. will not miss the opportunity to explore the summit to push its agenda of the so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy, according to Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account that comments on current international affairs.
The dialogue comes only weeks after the Biden administration unveiled its approach to China that can be described as “aligning” to “shape the strategic environment around Beijing,” said Yuyuan Tantian in a commentary post on Friday.
However, it warned that, given the complex international situation today, the United States needs to think through the price it will pay if it intends to stir trouble in the Asia-Pacific region where peace and development prevail.
‘Unwise’ to play Taiwan card
If the Taiwan question is not handled properly, it will have a subversive effect on China-U.S. relations, Wei told Austin in April when they spoke over the phone.
In its analysis, Yuyuan Tantian said a red line in China-U.S. relations that cannot be crossed is for the U.S. not to support “Taiwan independence.”
However, the U.S. side, whenever it interacts with the Chinese side, tends to play the “Taiwan card” and take advantage of the island to the fullest extent, Yuyuan Tantian said.
In the fourth U.S. arms sale to the Taiwan region since Biden took office, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday that it had delivered the required certification notifying Congress following the State Department’s approval of the sale of ship spare parts, ship system spare parts and related equipment for an estimated cost of $120 million.
The latest arms sale comes following a series of acts of collusion between the U.S. and the Taiwan region’s authorities.
In response, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has recently conducted a combined combat-readiness patrol in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan Island.
Yuyuan Tantian said, the U.S. should not underestimate the PLA’s determination and ability to defend national interests and dignity.
During his talks with Austin on Friday, the Chinese defense minister said that if someone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese ministry will not hesitate to fight at any cost, according to a spokesperson for the ministry.
