China and Singapore yesterday laid the groundwork for a hotline between the two states that would establish a high-level communications link between Beijing and a close US partner in Asia at a time when Chinese tensions with Washington are high and dialogue has stalled.
Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu (李尚福), a general in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army who was named minister in March, signed a memorandum of understanding with Singaporean Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen (黃永宏) to work toward establishing a secure telephone link “for high-level communications between our defense leaders,” a statement released by Singapore said.
“Such high-level open lines of communications are important for strengthening mutual understanding and trust,” the statement said, without giving a timeline for when it would be established.
Photo: AP
Li is on his first visit to Singapore as defense minister, and is broadly discussing global and regional security issues with a range of officials.
The city-state said both governments’ defense establishments “interact regularly through bilateral and multilateral exercises,” and that his visit underscores “long-standing, warm and friendly” relations.
At the same time, Singapore is a close military and economic partner of the US, and the agreement to establish the direct phone link came as communications between Washington and Beijing are strained.
Li also established a defense hotline with Japan in March to improve communication and help avoid accidental encounters in the tense region.
While in Singapore, Li is expected to address a meeting of defense officials, diplomats and country leaders on Sunday, but declined a request from Washington to meet on the sidelines with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who is to give a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference on Saturday.
Among many issues, China has been irritated by US support for Taiwan, the shooting down of what the US called a Chinese spy balloon and sanctions directly targeting Li.
Those sanctions are related to Washington’s broad package of measures against Russia, but predate its invasion of Ukraine and were imposed in 2018 over Li’s involvement in China’s purchase of combat aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles from Moscow.
The sanctions, which broadly prevent Li from doing business in the US, do not prevent him from holding official talks, the US has said.
Earlier this week, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Tan Kefei (譚克非) said Austin’s offer of talks in Singapore had been rejected because the US “disregards China’s concerns and creates artificial obstacles.”
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