A deterioration in US-China relations, seen most dramatically in their escalating trade dispute, is spilling over into the military arena.
The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed that China had canceled a Washington visit by the head of its navy, and US officials said that China had denied a request for a US Navy ship to make a port visit next month in Hong Kong.
Also on Tuesday, China demanded that US President Donald Trump’s administration cancel a planned US$330 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan.
Photo: AFP / US NAVY / RYRE ARCIAGA
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of “severe damage” to bilateral relations if the sale announced on Monday goes through.
Also at stake are US hopes to gain China’s help in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
In his address on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly in New York City, Trump thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for his assistance with the North Korea problem, but also blasted China for what he called unfair use of international trade rules to diminish US jobs and deepen US trade deficits.
“Those days are over. We will no longer tolerate such abuse,” Trump said.
In May, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis disinvited China from participating in a multinational naval exercise in the Pacific.
Pentagon spokesman Army Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said that China informed the Pentagon that the chief of the Chinese navy has been recalled to Beijing, canceling a planned meeting with his US Navy counterpart at the Pentagon after visiting a naval conference at Newport, Rhode Island.
A reporter on Monday asked Mattis what he made of these developments and how he expected to address them.
“It’s too early to say. We’re still sorting this out,” he said.
In addition to its anger over the US$330 million military sale to Taiwan, China is strongly objecting to a US decision to issue a visa ban and assets freeze on China’s Equipment Development Department and its director, Li Shangfu (李尚福).
The US action relates to China’s purchase from Russia of Su-35 combat aircraft last year and equipment related to the S-400 surface-to-air missile system this year.
Those purchases contravened a US law passed last year intended to punish the Russian government for interfering in US elections and other activities.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense said that the US had no right to interfere in Chinese military cooperation with Russia and demanded the sanctions be revoked.
In addition to warning that failure to revoke the sanctions would mean Washington “must bear the consequences,” Beijing postponed a meeting it had been scheduled to host this week between US and Chinese military staff.
China also turned down a request for a port call next month in Hong Kong by a US Navy amphibious assault ship.
“We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong and we expect that will continue,” Eastburn said, confirming that China had not approved the ship’s visit.
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