FLASH NEWS
VOA: China accuses Washington of wanting to create a new "NATO" in Asia
2024-06-02 18:56:59 / BOTA
China will take action to curb Taiwan independence, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said on Sunday during a meeting in Singapore on security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Minister Dong acknowledged the importance of renewing new military communications with the United States as tensions escalate in the Asia-Pacific. However, he accused Washington of causing friction by offering support to Taiwan and the Philippines.
"Because the Chinese and American military have differences, there is a greater need for communication. Although we have different development paths, we should not pursue confrontation with each other," said Minister Dong.
China has acted aggressively with territorial claims over the entire South China Sea, a key global sea route, which has led to an increasing number of conflicts, particularly with the Philippines. Chinese ships rammed Philippine ships and hit them with water cannons.
China's military chief insisted Beijing pursues non-aggressive policies before threatening the Philippines, which has been increasingly leaning toward the United States since the election of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as president in 2022.
Since territorial hostilities with China escalated last year, the administration of Philippine leader Marcos Jr. has taken steps to create new security alliances with a number of Asian and Western countries. He has also allowed a greater US military presence in his country under a 2014 defense pact.
The Chinese minister accused the Philippines of deliberately provoking China, "encouraged by external powers," citing the United States' deployment of an intermediate-range missile system in the Philippines and long-standing support for Manila over a 2016 arbitration ruling. which denies most of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea.
"The so-called Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States is full of rhetoric. Under the banner of promoting regional cooperation, it actually relies on Cold War mentality. The real purpose of this so-called strategy is to integrate the small circles into a larger circle, an Asian variant of NATO - thereby maintaining US hegemony," said Jing Jiangfeng, a Chinese army general.
Another issue that affects the West's relations with China is the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Beijing says it maintains a neutral stance on the conflict, but has backed Moscow's claims that Russia launched the attack on Ukraine after being provoked by the West. China also continues to supply the Russian arms industry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the meeting in Singapore, said he was "disappointed" that some world leaders had not yet confirmed participation in the Ukraine peace conference to be held in Switzerland in almost two weeks.
He did not specify any countries by name, but the possible participation of China, Russia's most important ally, is seen as a key issue.
"Yes, we are disappointed that some world leaders have not yet confirmed their participation in the high-level peace meeting. Unfortunately, there are also attempts to undermine that meeting. We do not want to believe that this is a monopolistic desire in the world to deny the global community the opportunity to decide on war and peace and to leave this power in the hands of one or two countries," President Zelenskyy said.
Chinese defense chief Dong Jun did not appear to be present during President Zelenskyy's speech.
Minister Dong did not specifically mention during his speech the meeting that is expected to be held in Switzerland, but said that "for the Ukraine crisis, China has promoted the peace talks by taking a responsible attitude."
He added that China had not provided weapons to either side in the conflict.
The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, was present during the speech of the Ukrainian leader./ VOA
Happening now...
83 mandates are not immunity for Rama's friends
Nga Gentian Gaba
ideas
"Preliminary sentence for Belinda Balluku", response to Baton Haxhiu
Nga Blendi Kajsiu
Teatri që fsheh prapaskenën
Nga Patrik Sadikaj
Berisha's red line and the black line of democracy in the DP
Besmir Semanaj
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128