SINGAPORE: China's defence minister warned on Sunday (Jun 4) against establishing "NATO-like" military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying they would plunge the region into a "whirlpool" of conflict.
"In essence, attempts to push for NATO-like (alliances) in the Asia-Pacific is a way of kidnapping regional countries and exaggerating conflicts and confrontations, which will only plunge the Asia-Pacific into a whirlpool of disputes and conflicts," Chinese Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu told the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
"Today's Asia-Pacific needs open and inclusive cooperation, not buddying up into small cliques. We must not forget the severe disasters brought by the two world wars to peoples of all countries, and we must not allow such tragic history to repeat itself."
Li did not explicitly name any country but appeared to be referring to the United States, which has been shoring up alliances and partnerships in the region.The United States is a member of the AUKUS alliance, which groups it with Australia and Britain.
Washington is also a member of the QUAD group, which includes Australia, India and Japan.
After Li's speech, retired veteran Chinese diplomat Cui Tiankai urged the United States to ease military deployments close to China in an act of "good faith" if high-level defence talks between the two superpowers are to resume.
Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, said that Li's approach and tone appeared gentler than that of Chinese positions stated at previous summits but that "the content was the same".
"It was a reflection of the distance between the U.S. and the PRC, which also suggests that any hope that there will be some resolution is naive. US, PRC competition is here to stay,” he said.
WORLD "BIG ENOUGH" FOR CHINA AND US
Li said the world was big enough for China and the US to grow together.
"China and the US have different systems and are different in many other ways," he said in a speech that marked his first significant international address since he was named as China's defence chief in March.
"However, this should not keep the two sides from seeking common ground and common interests to grow bilateral ties and deepen cooperation," he said. "It is undeniable that a severe conflict or confrontation between China and the US will be an unbearable disaster for the world."
Ties between Washington and Beijing are badly strained over a range of issues, including democratically ruled Taiwan, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and President Joe Biden's restrictions on semiconductor chip exports.
In their latest row, China's military criticised the United States and Canada for "deliberately provoking risk" after the countries' navies staged a rare joint sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Saturday.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China in a speech at the security meeting on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over their differences.
Li was more restrained in his speech, although he took thinly veiled digs at the United States, accusing "some countries" of intensifying an arms race and wilfully interfering in the internal affairs of others.
"A Cold War mentality is now resurgent, greatly increasing security risks," he said. "Mutual respect should prevail over bullying and hegemony."
Li, sanctioned by the United States in 2018 over weapons purchases from Russia, shook hands with Austin at a dinner on Friday but the two have not had a deeper discussion, despite repeated US demands for more military exchanges.
Speaking privately on the sidelines of the conference, two Chinese military officers said that Beijing wanted clear signs from Washington of a less confrontational approach in Asia - including the dropping of sanctions against Li - before military-to-military talks could resume.
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