Mixed signals toward the West coming out of a Monday security forum in Beijing.
China’s second most senior military commander says he aims to boost defense ties with Washington. While Moscow said it was open to discussing security issues as Beijing-Moscow relations grow ever friendlier.
But the Chinese and Russian military chiefs also heaped criticism onto the U.S.
“Certain countries keep stirring up troubles around the world. They deliberately create turbulences, meddle in regional affairs, interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and instigate color revolutions,” Zhang Youxia, Vice Chair of China’s Central Military Commission, said.
Russia’s Defense Minister blamed the West for getting involved in its war on Ukraine and warned of conflict between global superpowers. The top Chinese official noted that Beijing’s military wouldn’t tolerate Western support for Taiwanese independence. The Chinese Communist Party claims the island as its territory, though it has never ruled Taiwan.
China and the U.S. have had no high-level military communication since August 2022. Beijing suspended talks after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. The radio silence has sparked fear over a potential clash in the South China Sea.