The “wrong” actions of the US on Taiwan, its South China Sea patrols and deployment of an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea have had a large, negative influence on military trust, a senior Chinese officer said yesterday.
Chinese Central Military Commission Deputy Chairman General Fan Changlong (范長龍) told US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford that mutual trust mechanisms between the two militaries had continued to improve, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said.
“But wrong actions on the Taiwan issue, the United States deploying the THAAD system around China, US ships’ and aircraft’s activities in the South China Sea, the United States’ close-in surveillance in the sea and air near China have had a large, negative influence on bilateral military ties and mutual trust,” Fan said.
THAAD is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system the US has deployed in South Korea to defend against North Korean missiles.
China says the system affects its own security because of its powerful radar, and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.
Fan said China was willing to work with the US to find more potential for cooperation, handle disputes and sensitive issues appropriately and ensure military cooperation becomes a positive force in relations.
At a separate meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told Dunford that promoting constructive relations between the two militaries is very important to help deepen ties between the two countries.
China and the US, the world’s two largest economies, say they are committed to having a stable military-to-military relationship, but there are deep fault lines.
China has been angered by US freedom of navigation patrols near Chinese-controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, where Taiwan also has claims, and continued US arms sales and support for Taiwan.
The US has expressed concern about what it calls unsafe intercepts of US aircraft by the Chinese air force.
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