Competing pressures among U.S. global powers took center stage at a security conference on Sunday, where China accused the United States of fomenting tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought more support for the troubled country.
The scenes unfolded at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, an annual security forum that has long served as a barometer of the ups and downs in U.S.-China relations.
This year, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin III and Chinese Defense Minister General Dong Jun Hold talksSenior defense officials from both countries did not always do so during the meeting. But Tung made clear that China still strongly opposed U.S. influence and alliance building in Asia, especially U.S. support for Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
“These ill intentions are leading Taiwan to the danger of war,” said General Tung Chee-hwa, alluding obliquely but explicitly to U.S. military and political support for Taiwan. “Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will be crushed and destroy themselves.”
Admiral Tung's warning, like fiery comments from other Chinese military officials at the meeting, reflected the fact that Beijing and Washington remain deeply divided over some fundamental regional issues, even as the two sides discuss how to prevent military frictions at sea and in the air from escalating into crises.
Last month, China hosted Two days of threatening military exercises Taiwan is accusing the new president of Lai Ching-teJimmy Lai's Democratic Progressive Party insists Taiwan is an independent country, although he has said he will not seek complete independence for Taiwan.
Mr. Austin warning in speech Austin on Saturday condemned “actions in the region that undermine the status quo and threaten peace and stability,” indirectly referring to China's pressure on Taiwan. Austin also said “we all have a shared interest in ensuring that the South China Sea remains open and free” despite China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
But Admiral Tung blamed an unnamed Southeast Asian nation — apparently the Philippines — for stirring up trouble over disputed islands and shoals, and again suggested the United States was the real culprit.
“A certain country, instigated by external forces, abandoned bilateral agreements, broke its promises and took premeditated actions to provoke incidents,” he said in a speech to many diplomats, military officials and experts from Asian countries. “China has exercised sufficient restraint in responding to these provocations, but this restraint has its limits.”
The Philippines and China have long been at odds over sovereignty in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. In 2016, an international tribunal established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rejected China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, including shoals near the Philippines. Beijing has ignored the ruling.
At a conference in Singapore, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned on Friday that his government might seek U.S. assistance under a mutual defense treaty if Chinese ships killed Filipino sailors.
A U.S. official who heard General Tung’s speech disputed his portrayal of China and the People’s Liberation Army as innocent victims of regional disputes. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said General Tung’s comments contradicted “coercive actions” taken by the Chinese military in the region.
Even in Singapore, Austin and other Western officials were reminded that Ukraine’s more than two-year war against a Russian invasion still demands the attention of its leaders and taxpayer resources.
Zelenskiy spoke at the rally early Sunday afternoon. A Pentagon spokesman said Austin met with him outside the venue to discuss the current battlefield situation and assure him that the United States is committed to ensuring Ukraine has everything it needs to defend itself.
“This is a reminder to countries in Asia and the Indo-Pacific that the war in Ukraine is not just a European problem, it’s a world problem,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
“Zelensky recognizes that he has to go out and remind the world to continue to support his country’s struggle,” said Glaser, who attended the Singapore meeting.
Face Russian military forces gain ground in the countryMr. Zelensky has been Urge the United States and Europe to increase support for its military and overcome Ukrainian concerns about launching U.S. missiles and other weapons at military targets inside Russia.
Mr. Zelensky Expressed on social media He met with U.S. lawmakers at the gathering in Singapore, including Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Zelensky thanked him Help win approval In April, the United States requested additional military aid for Ukraine, but also hinted that more was needed.
“We discussed the situation on the front and military assistance, especially additional systems and missiles to strengthen our air defense,” Zelensky said.
