By Guo Yuandan

郭媛丹

When asked about China"s rejection of the request by the US for a defense chief meeting at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore at a press briefing on May 30, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the US was clear about the reason why China-US military dialogue faces difficulties. The so-called efforts of the US are only reflected in the statements sent to the media, not in actions. In other words, they do not walk the talk. And for that matter, the US knows it well.

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Mao urged the US side to earnestly respect China"s sovereignty, security and interest concerns, immediately correct wrong practices, show sincerity and create the necessary atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication between Chinese and US militaries.

在5月30日举行的中国外交部例行记者会上，外交部发言人毛宁回应中方拒绝美国提出的中美防长在新加坡香格里拉对话会上会面请求时称，当前中美两军对话面临困难的原因，美方是清楚的。美方应当切实尊重中国的主权安全和利益关切，立即纠正错误做法，展现诚意，为中美两军对话沟通创造必要的氛围和条件。

Just as the Pentagon claimed that the US is making efforts to set up a meeting between the defense chiefs of the two countries, officials of Taiwan region"s defense department said on May 25 that the US government begun the weapon assistance to Taiwan through Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), and that the first batch of Stinger air defense missiles had arrived in Taiwan on May 24.

就在五角大楼声称“美国为两国防长会晤做出努力”的同时，台湾防务部门官员25日称，美国政府经总统提用权渠道对台武器援助案近期已开始实施，首批交付的“毒刺”防空导弹于24日运抵台湾。

A military expert pointed out that the current US actions are self-contradictory and questionable. On the one hand, the US claims that it hopes to maintain military communication with China and set up a so-called guardrail for China-US relations; on the other hand, the US keeps provoking China and infringing upon its interests. "The Taiwan question is the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed. However, the US keeps provoking China by salami tactics, which is a typical case of saying one thing and doing another, and is totally hypocritical and insincere," he said.

一位不愿意透露姓名的军事专家表示，当前美方的做法处处充满自相矛盾，无法不令人质疑：一方面，美国号称想要和中方保持军事上的沟通，为中美关系设置所谓护栏；但另一方面，它却不断对中方进行侵权和挑衅。“台湾问题是中美关系政治基础中的基础，是不可逾越的红线，但美方不断通过‘切香肠’的方式来挑衅中方，这是典型的说一套做一套，这种虚伪的表现毫无诚意。”

Another military expert expressed, as China and the US are the two most important military forces in the world, maintaining stable relations between the two militaries is closely related to regional and global security. The high-level meeting between the two militaries is not only a bridge of strategic communication, but also significant for crisis management. However, the US side is playing innocent while infringing upon China"s interests. In this case, China has to show where it stands on this issue. "If the US cannot carry out the high-level meeting with a correct attitude and does not want to work things out, there is no way that such meeting will turn the trick," said the expert frankly.

另一位军事专家表示，作为世界上最主要的两大军事力量，中美两军关系保持稳定事关区域和全球安全问题，尤其当前中美一线部队会频繁接触，两军高层会晤不仅是战略上的沟通，对一线部队的危机管控也有积极意义。这位专家直言，但现在美方一边侵犯中方的利益，一边要求中方维护其利益，对此，中国不能不表明立场和态度。“如果美国不能端正态度，本着解决问题来进行高层会晤，则根本没有会晤的必要。”

According to analysts, the US not only attempts to shift the blame to the Chinese side for the failure of the two militaries" normal communication, but also hopes to put regional peace and security in jeopardy. The Wall Street Journal quoted some US officials warning that China"s refusal might cause anxiety among Southeast Asian countries, who may fear that they would end up being caught between the two major countries, China and the US.

专家分析认为，目前，美方不仅企图将中美两军高层无法正常沟通的“锅”扣在中方头上，还希望借机搅乱地区局势。《华尔街日报》引述一些美国官员说的话警告说，中国拒绝会晤可能会引发东南亚盟友的不安，担心自己被夹在中美这两个大国之间。

Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, deputy director of the Teaching and Research Office for National Security Strategy, School of National Security, PLA National Defense University, said on May 30 that it is the US, not China, that is the real source of anxiety among Southeast Asian countries, pushing regional countries to take sides. A glimpse of the US"s so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" tells us that the country, which is good at manipulating ideology through dividing and ruling, has long been trying to control other countries by triggering regional conflicts and opposition. "The US pursues exclusive multilateralism in the Asia-Pacific region to maintain its hegemonic position in the world while curbing the development of other countries. Such practice will aggravate the opposition of the international community and increase the risk of regional confrontation and conflict," said Zhang.

国防大学国家安全学院国家安全战略教研室大校副主任张弛30日对《环球时报》表示，导致东南亚国家担忧的真正根源是美国，推动地区国家选边站队的是美国，而不是中国。观察美国推动所谓“印太战略”可以发现，其一向惯于用分而治之和操弄意识形态的手法，通过制造矛盾和对立来操控其他国家。“在亚太地区，美国推行的是排他性的多边主义，主旨是希望维护其世界霸权地位同时遏制其他国家的发展，美国的这种做法会加剧国际社会对立，推高地区对抗和冲突的风险。” 张弛说。

Zhang added that different from the US, which is keen to set up exclusive cliques and seek its own gains from geopolitical struggles, China has long been committed to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and put forward Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative. China has been unswervingly pursuing inclusive multilateralism, demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a responsible major country, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind with pragmatic actions, and has got a series of major practical achievements.

张弛进一步表示，与美国“设立各种排他性的小圈子”、“从地缘政治斗争中谋取私利”不同，中国长期以来推动构建人类命运共同体，并提出全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议和全球文明倡议三大倡议。中国推行的是一种包容性的多边主义， “我们坚定不移地奉行包容性的多边主义，展现了负责任的大国担当，以务实行动推动构建人类命运共同体，并取得了一系列重大的实践成果”。

Editor"s note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.