Reuters-China and Russia take aim at US at Chinese military forum
October 30, 2023 4 min 657 words
中国和俄罗斯在北京举行的军事安全论坛上瞄准美国提出批评，这表明国际政治紧张局势继续升级。这种表现发生在中国第二高级别军事指挥官表示愿意增强与华盛顿的国防关系之际，凸显了复杂的国际关系。俄罗斯国防部长谢尔盖·绍伊古警告西方干涉乌克兰战争会带来严重威胁，强调西方对俄罗斯的战略意图。中国中央军事委员会副主席张又侠则在其发言中批评美国及其盟友，称"一些国家"试图干涉中国内政。尽管存在这些批评，张又侠也强调了与美国改善军事关系的必要性。这次论坛也标志着美中两国高层军事交流的重新启动，而美国总统拜登和中国国家主席习近平预计将于下月举行峰会。然而，许多西方国家要么回避这一论坛，要么派遣小规模和低级别代表团，更愿意在新加坡每年举行的香格里拉对话中讨论国际安全问题。这表明国际关系仍然充满挑战，需要谨慎处理。
Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China's second-most-senior military commander vowed to boost defence ties with Washington.
The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's biggest annual show of military diplomacy, began Sunday without the country's defence minister, who typically hosts the event, but included a U.S. delegation amid roiling regional tensions.
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger.
"The Western line of steady escalation of the conflict with Russia carries the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences," Russia's TASS state news agency cited Shoigu as saying at the forum.
Shoigu also said the West intends to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia in a "hybrid war", and praised the model of Russia-China relations as "exemplary", Russian state media reported.
Zhang Youxia, vice chairman under President Xi Jinping on China's Central Military Commission, delivered veiled criticism of the United States and its allies, accusing "some countries" of trying to undermine the government.
"Some countries deliberately create turbulence and interfere in other countries' internal affairs, and instigate colour revolutions," Zhang said in his keynote address, using the term the Chinese government uses to describe attempts to overthrow Communist Party rule.
"Countries should not deliberately provoke other countries on major and sensitive issues," he said, adding that Taiwan is a core interest of China.
But in other parts of his speech, Zhang stressed the need for improved military ties with the United States.
"We will deepen strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia and are willing to, on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, develop military ties with the U.S.," Zhang said in an address being closely watched by military attaches and diplomats amid tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China's defence minister delivered the keynote speech in previous years.
China and the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. team will meet separately with Chinese military officials.
The participation of the U.S. delegation comes as the United States and China ramp up exchanges ahead of an expected summit between U.S. 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.
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.