US and China defence officials hold a rare call to discuss Ukraine, security issues

21 April 2022 - 08:58 By David Wainer
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China has also declared that Russia’s moves on Ukraine are “not comparable at all” to Beijing’s determination to reunify Taiwan with mainland China.
China has also declared that Russia’s moves on Ukraine are “not comparable at all” to Beijing’s determination to reunify Taiwan with mainland China.
Image: Bloomberg

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a rare call on Wednesday with his counterpart in China, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, to discuss the situation in Ukraine and other security issues, according to a US statement.

A Chinese statement confirmed the Ukraine discussion, saying Wei urged the US to refrain from using Ukraine to “smear” China. It also said Wei urged the US to stop military provocations at sea.

The conversation comes as the US continues to pressure China not to align with Russia as the Ukraine war drags on. President Xi Jinping’s government has refrained from joining in US and European sanctions on Russia, while calling for respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

China has also declared that Russia’s moves on Ukraine are “not comparable at all” to Beijing’s determination to reunify Taiwan with mainland China.

Austin requested the telephone conversation with Wei after months of failed efforts to speak with Xu Qiliang, the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Communist Party’s military structure, the Associated Press reported.

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng called for deepening ties in a range of fields during a meeting on Monday in Beijing with Russian envoy Andrey Ivanovich Denisov, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement. He said that a nearly 30% jump in trade between the nations during the first three months of 2022 demonstrates “the great resilience and internal dynamism of bilateral co-operation.” 

While bilateral trade did grow in the first quarter, much of that was before the invasion of Ukraine, with Chinese exports to Russia slumping in March to the lowest level since mid-2020, according to data released last week.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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