US, China defense ministers to continue 'discussions' amid rising tensions
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has announced an upcoming visit by his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe amid heightened tensions with China.
Mattis said on Saturday that General Wei would visit Washington next week to continue their unfinished past "discussions".
"I have met with my counterpart in Beijing a month ago, I have met with him again in Singapore a week ago. He is coming to Washington next week to continue our discussions," Mattis said at a Middle East security conference in Bahrain, in response to a question about the escalation of tensions between the two countries in recent months.
Mattis downplayed the tensions with China, describing the escalation as "competition". "I would just point out that (our) strategic competition does not imply hostility," Mattis explained.
Earlier this week two US warships followed by Chinese navy vessels sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in the South China Sea.
The “discussions” between Mattis and Wei will take place amid an escalation of military movement and an ongoing trade war between the two countries.
In September, the US slapped tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion.
China retaliated by imposing tariffs on $80 billion worth of American goods.
Beijing also rebuked Washington for its "provocative" flights of bombers over the South China and East China seas.
It also criticized US arms sales to Taiwan, nixed a planned visit by a US warship to a Hong Kong port and cancelled a meeting between the head of the Chinese navy and his American counterpart.
"I will tell you that we are committed to cooperating with China, with Russia, where we can," Mattis said on Saturday. "But we will not surrender freedom of navigation. We will not surrender international law."
The US justifies naval deployments in the South China Sea on the grounds of "freedom of navigation", causing tensions with Beijing, which claims large parts of the maritime area.
Meanwhile, China has repeatedly expressed Beijing's "serious concern" over its “sovereignty and territory”.
Earlier this month, a Chinese warship and a US destroyer had an "unsafe" encounter near disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The US military officials claim that its operations were routine and "designed to enhance our readiness and interoperability with our partners and allies in the region."
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