In another sign of rising tensions, the militaries of the US and China failed to coordinate with each other this week to hold a meeting on maritime safety, with each side blaming the other.
According to the US military, Beijing was due to participate in virtual meetings between December 14th and 16th. The top US admiral in Asia released a statement on Wednesday where he slammed Beijing for not attending.
Admiral Phil Davidson, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said it was “another example” of China not honoring its agreements. “This should serve as a reminder to all nations as they pursue agreements with China going forward,” he said.
For their part, China’s PLA Navy said their side submitted a proposal to the US on November 18th for topics to be discussed at the meeting and said the two sides never reached an agreement.
A PLA Navy spokesman said on Thursday: “The US side persisted in pushing its unilateral topic ideas, arbitrarily compressing the length of the annual meeting, changing the nature of the annual meeting, and even attempting to force China’s participation in the meeting when the two sides had not yet agreed on the topics.”
Concerns are growing over a possible military conflict breaking out in the region due to the increased US military activity and the lack of communication between the PLA and the US military. The US frequently sails warships and flies reconnaissance planes into the South China Sea and near Taiwan to challenge Beijing’s claims. With diplomatic relations souring and tensions rising, an accident could risk turning into a full-blown military conflict.
Both sides can’t really hide their desire for a fight, though China is more bluff than buff.
Whereas being ready or not really doesn’t matter to a U.S. Europe First war in the Pacific as Europe wins either way while China and the U.S. both lose.
What’s next, a “Mother Earth Command” for a four star Admiral?