US lacks bravery, action to rectify relations with China: MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Sep 2023 17:47

Despite the fact that communication channels remain open between the US and China, the former refuses to acknowledge its mistakes and promote cooperation with China.

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian speaks during a monthly media briefing in Beijing, China, September 28, 2023. (AP)

The United States is reluctant to acknowledge and rectify errors in its dealings with China, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said on Thursday.

"Washington lacks not channels of communication, but bravery and action to face the facts and correct its mistakes [in cooperation with Beijing]," Wu said.

Despite this, the Spokesperson noted that the military and diplomatic channels of communication between China and the United States have remained open and continue to foster cooperation.

"We demand that the US take concrete steps to create conditions conducive to steering the military-to-military relationship between the two countries in the right direction," Wu added.

Notably, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's attempt to arrange a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu during the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore in June was unsuccessful.

Li has been the target of US sanctions, which have also included other Chinese officials and sectors of the economy, prompting the Chinese Minister of Defense to decline a face-to-face meeting with Austin.

US stirs up trouble in South China Sea

On Wednesday, the Philippines announced that it will host this year's joint naval exercise with the United States from October 2-13 as part of mutual efforts to boost military collaboration in the East Asian region.

According to a statement released by the country's armed forces, the exercise activities were designed to further enhance the PN’s naval warfare capabilities as the country’s offshore combat force for maritime security operations. They will cover the fundamentals of anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare. The exercises will include personnel from Japan, Australia, Canada, France, and the UK.

This comes amid renewed tensions between China and the Phillippines in contested landmasses in the South China Sea.

The Global Times said the Philippines escalation in the South China Sea is "obviously driven by US instigation."

The Chinese newspaper pointed out that the US is seeking a larger military presence in the South China Sea, indicating that it is pushing the Philippines to spur up feuds with China, providing a pretext for US military expansion in the region.