In view of the relationship between China and the USA, which is strained by sanctions and opposing political attitudes, Beijing wants to clarify “misunderstandings” with Washington. The relations between the two countries must be put back on a healthy, stable and sustainable path, said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
What is right and what is wrong does not depend on who has “the strongest arms and who has the loudest voice,” but rather on who adheres to international law and the norms of international relations, said the chief diplomat. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he agreed with Wang Yi.
US military complains about maneuvers by a Chinese fighter jet
During the talks, a Chinese fighter jet approached a US B-52 bomber over the South China Sea in a dangerous maneuver, according to US military information. The pilot of the J-11 aircraft flew in an “unsafe and unprofessional manner” under and in front of the US aircraft at a distance of only ten feet (about three meters), the US command in the Indo-Pacific said.
A fighter jet was seen approaching in a video released. According to US information, the incident occurred at night and with low visibility. Accordingly, the fighter jet’s maneuver violates international aviation safety rules.
Not an isolated case
The world’s largest and second-largest economies have long been at loggerheads on numerous important issues. The USA and China repeatedly accuse each other of dangerous behavior by their armed forces at sea and in the air in the Indo-Pacific. According to US information, there have been more than 180 incidents since autumn 2021.
Both sides recently published pictures of the events. Yesterday, China’s Defense Ministry distributed a video that purported to show the US Navy destroyer “USS Ralph Johnson” making a sharp turn across the route of the Chinese destroyer “Guilin.” China accused the USA of wanting to provoke with the maneuver on August 19th.
The South China Sea is regularly the scene of military exercises and threatening gestures. In the north, Beijing feels challenged by US Navy ships passing through the strait between China and Taiwan.
The People’s Republic sees the democratic island state as its territory. In the south, China claims various reefs and islands for itself and is in dispute with the Philippines and other neighboring countries. According to various sources, there are repeated incidents there too. Taiwan and the Philippines are supported by the USA.
Espionage allegations
The overflight of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over US territory at the beginning of the year also led to a diplomatic crisis. Meanwhile, the USA is maintaining sanctions that are intended to deny China access to strategically important chip technology. On top of that, the People’s Republic, ruled by the Communist Party, is criticized for its neutral stance in the Ukraine war and in the Middle East conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Recently, the countries appeared to want to improve their relations with more frequent visits by government representatives. It is believed that Wang Yi’s visit could also be in preparation for a trip by China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping to the meeting of Asia-Pacific states in mid-November in San Francisco, California. A meeting between Xi and US President Joe Biden would be possible there. The presidents of the two superpowers could have met at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, in September, but Xi canceled beforehand.
