April 20, 2022

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe had a phone call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday at the latter's request, with Wei stressing the importance of the Taiwan question, while demanding the US to stop its military provocations at sea, and not to throw mud or threaten China with the Ukraine issue. 

The dialogue, the first since Austin became US Defense Secretary in January 2021, will hopefully provide stability to the two countries' military-to-military ties and avoid and reduce misjudgments by letting the US better understand China's bottom line and core interests at a very challenging time in the China-US relations, analysts said.

Wei said that China and the US should implement the consensus reached by the two countries' top leaders in earnest, pledge mutual respect, coexist peacefully and avoid confrontation. The US should fulfill its promise of not seeking a new Cold War with China, should not aim to change China's system, the revitalization of its alliances should not target China, that the US does not support "Taiwan independence," and that it has no intention to seek a conflict with China.

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