What signal did the Global Network reporter Hou Jiaxin release? On April 30, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Catherine Hicks said at a security forum that China’s challenges set the pace for most U.S. defense needs, according to the defense official’s website. Despite the concerns, diplomacy with China is important, and conflict with China is neither what the US wants nor is inevitable.
Hicks made the remarks while speaking online at the Aspen Security Forum, the source said. During this time, Hicks hyped the “challenges” posed by China and what the department is doing to address them, particularly in terms of innovation and modernization.
“Beijing has the economic, military and technological capabilities to challenge the international system and U.S. interests in it.” Hicks said China’s military capabilities are rapidly improving in many areas, strengthening joint operations capabilities and deploying increasingly sophisticated conventional systems, such as long-range precision missiles and integrated air defense systems.
In addition, Hicks said, China is also advancing its space and network capabilities. ‘China has a strong cyberattack capability, ‘ she speculated.
Despite the growing concerns, Mr Hicks said it was important to have open channels of communication and diplomacy with China, the sources said.
“We expect the U.S. military to play a complementary role in diplomacy, the economy and other areas on a regular high.” Hicks said the pentagon’s core value in stopping China’s bad behavior lies in demonstrating its credible role and ability to deter Chinese aggression, “which would put us in the best position to avoid conflict.”
In Hicks’s view, allies and partners are important in what he calls “containing Chinese aggression.” Hicks said cooperation with Congress is also critical to ensuring that the U.S. Department of Defense receives the support it needs to “contain Chinese aggression.” “There is no doubt that China is a real and enduring challenge.”
The view that “conflict with China is not inevitable” seems to have some resemblance to what US President Joe Biden has said in recent days. Speaking at a joint session of Congress on April 28th, Biden said the United States, China and other countries are competing to win the 21st century, and he said the United States welcomes such competition rather than seeking conflict.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development and has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. China is committed to developing a non-conflict, non-confrontational, mutual respect and win-win cooperation relationship with the United States, and to coming out of a new path of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, while resolutely safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.
Wang wenbin also mentioned that China is committed to making people happy. Some in the U.S. say China is, in the final analysis, a sign of a lack of self-confidence, because of the Zero Cold War and ideological bias. I hope the U.S. side will not have a “sour grape” mentality towards China, look at China’s development with a more peaceful and rational attitude, and show what a big country should look like.
