At security forum meet in Beijing, China and Russia take aim at US – Hindustan Times Feedzy

China and the US have had no high-level military-to-military communications since the Washington-sanctioned former Chinese defence minister, Li Shangfu, was appointed in March.

Li was sacked last week without explanation, and China did not name a replacement. Reuters reported last month that Li, who has been missing for two months, was being investigated over corruption.

The US defence department has sent a delegation led by Cynthia Xanthi Carras, China country director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

It is not yet known whether the US team will meet separately with Chinese military officials.

The participation of the US delegation comes as the United States and China ramp up exchanges ahead of an expected summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

Last week, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with Biden for an hour in talks the White House described as a “good opportunity” to keep open lines of communication between the two geopolitical rivals.

Despite the conciliatory remarks about improving China-US military relations, Zhang and some PLA officers gave no sign of a softer stance on issues such as Taiwan, which Beijing’s regards as its own territory.

Chinese Lieutenant General He Lei, speaking at a panel on Sunday, said that if China has to use force against Taiwan, “it will be a war for reunification, a just and legitimate war”.

In his speech, Zhang said that countries “should not deliberately provoke other countries on major and sensitive issues,” he said, adding that Taiwan is “a core interest” of China.

Many Western countries have either shunned the forum or are only sending small and low-level delegations, preferring instead to discuss international security issues at the Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually in Singapore.

Together with the commission’s third-ranked official, He Weidong, Zhang held bilateral meetings with defence ministers from Laos, Mongolia, Belarus, East Timor and Myanmar, according to state media.