On Defense Secretary Mattis’ first visit to China in 2018, the Chinese side sent a civilian troupe, singing and dancing to accompany Mattis for dinner, and met with a cold face. Photo shows Xu Qiliang, the number two man in the Chinese Communist Party military, greeting Mattis.
The Financial Times on Friday (May 21) quoted multiple anonymous U.S. officials as saying that U.S. Defense Secretary Austin insisted on inviting the vice chairman of the Communist Party’s military commission for a direct dialogue, but the Chinese side has been pushing back.
The report said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has asked three times to speak with Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Communist Party’s military commission and a member of the Politburo, the highest-ranking Chinese military officer. But Chinese officials have refused to participate, according to three people with knowledge of the impasse.
The lack of transparency could complicate bilateral relations by putting off Austin’s call with Xu Qiliang against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the world’s two most powerful militaries.
High-level U.S.-China military dialogue has been stalled since January
U.S. officials have said they do not want to meet for the sake of meeting. After a public diplomatic spat between the top U.S. and Chinese diplomatic officials in Alaska in March, the U.S. side has not agreed to resume the old – and lengthy but unresolved – mechanism of high-level dialogue.
But the Biden administration believes that the Austin-Hsu dialogue is important because of rising tensions in the Indian Ocean region. This is because of the increasing proximity of Chinese and U.S. military forces, especially in the South China Sea region, where the Chinese Communist Navy and Air Force are conducting aggressive activities near Taiwan. Taiwan has become a recognized dangerous hot spot.
“There has been no response from the Chinese (Communist Party of China) military.” A U.S. Defense Department official told the Financial Times regarding the request for a call between Austin and Xu Qiliang.
In addition to not answering Austin’s request for a call, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has not spoken with his Chinese counterpart since early January, a second official said.
Shangri-La Dialogue Cancelled, U.S. Defense Chief’s Meeting Unlikely
Austin had been scheduled to travel to Singapore in June for the Shangri-La Security Dialogue, a forum that Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe was also expected to attend. It is the largest security forum in the Indo-Pacific region, attracting senior government officials and senior defense experts from the region and around the world each year.
The organizers of the dialogue announced this week that the event has been canceled due to concerns about the outbreak of the Chinese Communist Party virus (New Coronavirus, COVID-19). This means the likelihood of a first face-to-face meeting between the Chinese and U.S. defense chiefs in Singapore has been reduced to zero.
The interviewed U.S. Defense Department official confirmed that the U.S. side had discussed a meeting between Austin and Wei Fenghe in Singapore.
U.S. Defense Secretary Insists on Talking to Xu Qiliang, Believes Wei Fenghe Not the Right Person
The Defense Department official said Austin preferred not to hold a face-to-face meeting with Wei, but to push for a call between him and Xu Qiliang, who is higher in the Communist Party’s political and military system than Wei Fenghe. Austin ranks fourth in the Cabinet.
The official said, “We believe the counterpart (on the Chinese side) is the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.”
Jim Mattis met with Xu Qiliang during his 2018 visit to China, when Mattis was secretary of defense under President Donald Trump (R). But usually, the Chinese Communist Party almost always has Defense Minister Wei Fenghe come out of the woodwork.
Wei Fenghe has little power in the Communist Party system and is not listed in the 25-member Politburo, the Communist Party’s highest authority.
Within the White House, some NSC officials object to Austin consulting with Wei Fenghe; others, though less so, would like Austin to tell Wei explicitly, either through meetings or phone calls, that he will only speak with the vice chairman of the CCP’s military commission.
The National Security Council declined to comment to the Financial Times.
Scholar: Should convey to the Chinese side where the U.S. red line is
Why Xu Qiliang did not respond to the U.S. invitation to call, said Zhu Ming, a New York-based current affairs commentator, is that Xu Qiliang would not dare, nor would he accept the invitation without the approval of the highest level of the Chinese Communist Party – the seven Standing Committee of the Politburo.
“(Xu Qiliang) is putting off not because he dares to underestimate the United States, but because until he gets a signal to respond, delay and avoidance is the only answer.” Zhu Ming said.
Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund, told the Financial Times that it is important to bring the Pentagon into contact with the real military decision-makers on the Chinese side, and that it is the Communist Party’s military commission that has command of the Communist Party’s military.
“To address growing U.S. concerns about Chinese military operations and risk reduction measures to avoid collisions between U.S. and Chinese forces in close operations, the focus should be on the Central Military Commission.” She said.
Heino Klinck, a former Pentagon Asia official who served as a military attaché in China for many years, also said, “Given the situation in Taiwan and issues such as the East and South China Seas, and the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to coerce key U.S. allies and partners, such as Australia, there must be clear communication between the U.S. and China.”
“Because they (the Chinese Communist Party) communicate their red lines, we need to communicate to the Chinese side what the U.S. red lines are as well.” Klink said.
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