‘Unfortunate China declined talks’

Beijing’s decision to decline a meeting between US and Chinese defence chiefs is “unfortunate,” particularly given recent “provocative” Chinese behaviour, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday.

The comments come days after Washington accused Beijing of an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” near a US surveillance aircraft.

Washington had invited China’s Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu to hold talks with Austin on the sidelines of a defence summit in Singapore this week.

But Beijing declined the meeting, with a spokeswoman saying “the US knows clearly why there are currently difficulties in military communication.”

In Tokyo on a brief trip before his arrival in Singapore, Austin called that decision “unfortunate.”

“You’ve heard me talk a number of times about the importance of countries with large, with significant capabilities, being able to talk to each other so you can manage crises and prevent things from spiralling out of control unnecessarily,” Austin said.

Recent “provocative intercepts of our aircraft and also our allies’ aircraft” by China were “very concerning,” he added.

“I’m concerned about at some point having an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control.”

The US military said Tuesday that a Chinese fi ghter pilot had performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” near an American surveillance aircraft operating over the South China Sea last week.

Video footage released by the US military shows a Chinese fighter plane crossing in front of the American aircraft, which could be seen shaking from the resulting turbulence.

But China’s military said the US jet “broke into” a military training area.

It said the dispatch of ships and planes to “conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security.”

Austin and other US officials have been working to shore up alliances and partnerships in Asia to counter Beijing, but there have also been tentative signs the two sides are working to patch their relationship. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna this month, and President Joe Biden has said ties between Washington and Beijing should thaw “very shortly.” Austin said Thursday he “would welcome any opportunity to engage with leadership.”

“Defence departments should be talking to each other on a routine basis,” he added.

Austin met Thursday with Japan’s foreign and defence ministers, and is due to speak with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before leaving for Singapore.

He said the US-Japan alliance faced a raft of “common challenges,” including China’s “coercive behavior, North Korea’s dangerous provocations and Russia’s cruel war of choice in Ukraine.”

“But we are united by our shared interests and shared values. And we are taking important steps to modernise our alliances and strengthen our deterrence,” he added.

He cited trilateral cooperation with Australia and South Korea as well as the expanded “pace, scope and scale” of exercises and training.

The two militaries are also cooperating on advanced tech including “hypersonics, autonomous systems for teaming with fighter jets, and advanced air defence systems,” he added. AFP

N. Korea to put spy satellite into orbit soon—Kim’s sister

NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister said Thursday that Pyongyang would “correctly” place a spy satellite into orbit soon, a day after their first attempt crashed.

Pyongyang has pitched its military satellite as a necessary counterbalance to the growing US military presence in the region, pointing to Washington’s ongoing joint drills with Seoul as one example of many.

North Korea’s new Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust and plunged into the sea with its satellite payload on Wednesday, state media said in a rare same-day announcement following the failed launch.

Pyongyang also released photographs of what it said was the new Chollima-1 rocket taking off from a seaside launch site surrounded by flames and smoke.

The rocket—named after a mythical winged horse that often appears in Pyongyang’s propaganda—featured a bulbous nose, apparently used to carry the satellite payload.

The United States, South Korea and Japan slammed the launch, saying it violated UN resolutions barring Pyongyang from any tests using ballistic missile technology.

Kim Yo Jong said such critiques were a “self-contradiction,” given that the United States and other nations have already launched “thousands of satellites.”

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Kim Yo Jong, who also serves as a spokesperson for the regime, said a second attempt would soon be made.

“It is certain that the DPRK’s military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future and start its mission,” she said Thursday, referring to North Korea by its official name.

“The US is a group of gangsters who would claim that even if the DPRK launches a satellite in space orbit through a balloon, it is illegal and threatening,” she said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. AFP