Why is the fear of war between America and China increasing, how have the two countries become each other’s staunch enemies and why is this tension not ending, can Xi Jinping’s attitude cause a war between America and China? … America has clarified the situation regarding all these apprehensions.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a group of top security officials on Saturday that despite the rapidly increasing tension in the Asia-Pacific, war with China is neither imminent nor inevitable. He also stressed the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart to avoid “miscalculations and misunderstandings”.
Austin made these remarks at the Shangri-La Defense Forum in Singapore after a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun that lasted more than an hour. Contact between the US and Chinese forces ended after the visit of then Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in 2022. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two top defense officials since then. Refusing to give details about the meeting, Austin said the most important thing is that the two leaders are talking again.
Austin said, “War or fight with China is neither imminent nor inevitable.” He said, “Leaders of big countries need to work together to ensure that we do things that reduce the opportunity for miscalculations and misunderstandings.” He said, “Not every conversation is a pleasant conversation but the important thing is that we keep talking to each other and it is also necessary that we keep supporting our allies and partners.”
Addressing the same forum on Friday night, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clearly said that if even a single Filipino citizen is killed during a clash with China’s coast guard of his country, “it will be like an act of war and we will retaliate accordingly.”