Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu warned on Sunday against establishing “NATO-like” military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, saying they would plunge the region into a spiral 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,” the Singaporean Channel News Asia (CNA) quoted Li as saying in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit held 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,” he added.
He accused some countries of interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, saying, Cold War mentality has now re-emerged, which has greatly increased security risks, adding that mutual respect should prevail over bullying and domination.
Li did not refer to any country in particular; however, it seems that he is referring to the US that supports alliances and partnerships in the region, the most important of which is the AUKUS security alliance that includes Australia and UK, as well as the Quad partnership that includes Australia, India and Japan.
The world is big enough for China and the US to grow together, he mentioned, adding that China and the US have divergent systems and are different in multiple other ways, however this should not prevent both sides from seeking common ground and common interests to develop bilateral ties and deepen cooperation.
Ties between Washington and Beijing are severely tense over a range of issues including the democratically governed island of Taiwan, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and US President Joe Biden’s restrictions on exports of semiconductor chips.
In their latest dispute, China’s military criticized the US and Canada for “deliberately provoking” after the two countries’ navies conducted a rare joint sail through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday.
Li shook hands with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the opening dinner of the summit last Friday although the two did not have a detailed discussion despite repeated US demands for more military exchanges.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
