China not to blame for escalating tensions in the region, says high-ranking PLA officer
Friday, 13 May, 2016, Catherine Wong
A senior Chinese PLA official has told an American military chief that Beijing and Washington should manage the risk of conflict in the South China Sea constructively – and that China was not to blame for escalating tensions in the region.
Analysts said the remarks were in sharp contrast to the strong rhetoric from Chinese diplomats, suggesting Beijing may want to prevent tensions from escalating, even though it would not compromise on sovereignty principles.
The comments from Fang Fenghui, chief of the PLA’s Joint Staff Department, were made on Thursday during a conversation via a video link with Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The two nations’ navies should refrain from actions that might harm relations and their militaries should also improve communication and cooperation to manage risks constructively, Fang said.
Fang Fenghui, chief of the PLA’s Joint Staff Department. Photo: Simon Song
Dunford said the US was willing to work with Beijing in increasing communication over the issue, Xinhua reported.
The two sides should establish a risk control mechanism to ensure stability in the contested waters, Dunford said.
The talks came after China scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday in response to a US navy guided missile destroyer that was sailing close to a disputed reef controlled by China in the South China Sea.
It was the latest “freedom of navigation operation” carried out by the US, which says it is exercising the right to sail in international waters.
The first video-link between the navy chiefs of China and the US took place in April last year between Admiral Wu Shengli, a CMC member and Commander of the PLA Navy, and US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert.
They discussed close-range reconnaissance by US warships and aircraft of China’s construction work on islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
Tensions have increased in the region since China started a series of reclamation works and the US launched a series of patrols in the disputed waters.
Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo: Getty Images
The most recent patrol drew strong protest from China. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday that the US was showing off its military muscle and that these kinds of patrols were the biggest threat to freedom of navigation in the disputed waters.
Fang’s words, in sharp contrast to the strong rhetoric expressed by officials in the foreign ministry, reflected China’s intention to calm the simmering tensions, said Yue Gang, a military commentator and retired PLA colonel.
“They are addressing different objectives … The rhetoric used in diplomacy, which is used to appease public anger [over the US patrolling in China-controlled waters], is different from the language used in negotiations, which is much more pragmatic,” said Yue.
Yue said China would not compromise its principle on sovereignty, which had been violated for the third time by the latest US patrol.
But the dialogue showed both sides understood the pressing need to cool tensions, which had reached new heights in recent months, said Yue, adding that direct communication between high level officials was an essential platform to avoid misunderstandings.
Fang told the US official on Thursday: “There is no country in the world that values freedom of navigation in the South China Sea more than China.”
While China had always supported freedom of navigation, it remained opposed to US military navigation in China-controlled waters, said Shi Yinhong, director of the Centre for American Studies at the Renmin University of China.