As China and US revive military safety talks, Beijing warns against threats to sovereignty in Indo-Pacific

Fresh talks this week between Chinese and US military officials were “candid and constructive”, but Beijing will continue to respond to sovereignty threats in the Indo-Pacific, China’s defence ministry warned on Saturday.

The talks in Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday were the first in more than two years under the banner of the US-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) working group and brought together officials from the People’s Liberation Army and the US Indo-Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Air Forces.

The ministry said the meeting was held to “promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of military relations between the two countries”.

“On the basis of equality and mutual respect, both sides had candid and constructive exchanges on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the United States,” it said.

Pentagon footage from October of what it says was a Chinese fighter jet flying close to an American B-52 bomber over the South China Sea. Photo: US Indo-Pacific Command via AP

The two delegations discussed “safety-related events” that had occurred in the last few years, as well as how the nations could avoid accidental clashes in the future, the US Indo-Pacific Command said.

In October, the Pentagon released footage of what it said were Chinese fighter jets shooting flares and discharging chaff while approaching US aircraft at high speeds.

Officials also evaluated the implementation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea since 2021, when the last MMCA meeting was held.

The working group’s annual meetings were put on hold in 2022 in the aftermath of a visit to Taiwan by then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming Taiwan.

Conditions improved in November of last year when Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden agreed to resume military dialogues between the nations.

US and Chinese military discuss potential for accidental clashes in Indo-Pacific

In the talks in Honolulu this week, China said it was committed to promoting “regional peace, stability, and prosperity”, but also highlighted concerns over security and sovereignty, the Chinese ministry said.

The Chinese delegation “pointed out that the safety of ships and aircraft is inseparable from national security, and China firmly opposes any actions that jeopardise China’s sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation and overflight”.

“[The PLA] will continue to respond to any dangerous and provocative actions in accordance with the law and regulations” to defend its maritime interests, the ministry said.

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The warning came after US delegation head Colonel Ian Francis of the Indo-Pacific Command said the US would continue to operate in the region “wherever international law allows”.

Francis said the MMCA working group was the US Indo-Pacific Command’s main way of discussing air and maritime operational safety directly with the PLA.

“We are encouraged that the PLA is honouring its commitments to the MMCA working group and look forward to future productive discussions to safeguard the safety of our military operators in the region,” he said.

Meanwhile, the defence chiefs of the US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines said in a joint statement on Saturday that the nations would conduct a full-scale joint naval exercise together in the South China Sea for the first time.

They said the “maritime cooperative activity” would be held on Sunday to show a “collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

South China Morning Post