President Xi Jinping has also been promoting its key naval officers to command theatres, a move « aimed at utilizing them to the maximum and getting ready to win wars, » military affairs commentator Song Zhongping told the newspaper.
The official, from the national defense mobilization department at the nation’s Central Military Commission, said in the commentary, posted on January 22, the fears are based on the United States’ decision to rebalance its Asian strategy, on the installation of a missile defense system in South Korea, and deployments in the East and South China Seas.
The commentary referred to remarks made by Secretary of State-nominee Rex Tillerson, when he said he hoped the United States would stop China’s access to the islands it’s been building in the South China Sea.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has also issued a warning, telling the United States to « be cautious in what it says and does, so as to avoid harming the peace and stability in the region. »
In addition, « the Taiwan question, » sparked after Trump accepted a call from the president of Taiwan before his inauguration ceremonies is also in play. Chinese officials said the call was a « shenanigan from the Taiwan side, » but complained it was against the United States’ decades-long « One China » policy.
« Currently, the China-US relations is at the intersection of new strategies, and the two countries’ leaders need to make a rational choice between adhering to the principles of « no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation » and provoking sensitive issues between China and the US, » they wrote. « We hope that the US will rein in at the brink of the precipice and avoid going farther and farther down the wrong path. »
Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told The Post that some comments coming from Trump’s top advisors and his appointees show the United States plans a tough stance against China in connection with the South China Seas during Trump’s presidency.
« As it’s highly unlikely that China will compromise its sovereignty claims in the face of US pressure, we can be sure that the dispute will increasingly become a risky point of contention between Beijing and Washington, » Storey said.
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