Singapore, 6 Jun (ZXS) -- The 4th Shangri-La Dialogue concluded in Singapore on 4 June. During the meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu exchanged views on issues of common concern with leaders or heads of delegations of defense departments of more than <> countries and international organizations.
"Minister Lee Sheung Fock made full use of this opportunity to conduct bilateral activities during his stay in Singapore." Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher at the War Research Institute of the Academy of Military Sciences, said in an interview with China News Agency that in addition to the lack of meetings between the Chinese and US defense ministers, which are highly focused by all parties, China's communication and exchanges with other parties are worth paying attention to.
The expert pointed out that instead of obsessing over the "seeing" of the Chinese and US defense ministers, it is better to pay attention to who the Chinese defense ministers met and talked about during the "incense meeting."
As he said, first of all, the most important significance of China's participation in this meeting is to strengthen crisis management and draw a "red line" for some prominent and sensitive issues that currently exist, and face-to-face exchanges with relevant parties.
On the afternoon of 3 July, Li Shangfu held talks with Japanese Defense Minister Yasuichi Hamada. The reporter noticed at the scene that after the two sides ended their pleasantries, the Chinese side took the lead in speaking and pointed out that the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, and hoped that the Japanese side would not send a wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.
In mid-May, Li Shangfu and Hamada Yasukichi spoke for the first time using the air-sea liaison mechanism of the Chinese and Japanese defense departments. According to Chinese official sources, the completion and operation of direct telephone will effectively enrich the communication channels between the defense departments of the two countries and strengthen the ability of the two sides to manage and manage maritime and air crises. When talks were held during the "incense meeting," China and Japan also affirmed the above-mentioned call mechanism.
Second, for countries or international organizations that have established good communication mechanisms and maintained exchanges and cooperation, the role of face-to-face communication is to further expand communication channels and deepen existing pragmatic cooperation.
A typical example is the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 6 between the defense ministries of the two countries on the establishment of a direct and secure telephone communication line, building on close exchanges between the Chinese military and the Singapore armed forces at all levels, pushing the defense relationship between China and Singapore to a new level.
For another example, China firmly supports ASEAN's central position in the regional architecture, supports the construction of the ASEAN community, supports ASEAN in maintaining strategic autonomy, and is committed to promoting the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
"The exchanges between China and ASEAN countries are, on the one hand, deepening bilateral cooperation; On the other hand, in this way, China expressed its active support for ASEAN's role as a regional hub. Zhao Xiaozhuo said.
In addition, the important role of bilateral meetings is to deepen mutual understanding, enhance mutual trust, and find common interests and space for cooperation.
During the "incense meeting", Li Shangfu held more than ten talks with relevant parties, including the Philippines, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the European Union and other countries and international organizations.
Zhu Qichao, deputy director of the National Defense Science and Technology Strategic Research Think Tank of the National University of Defense Technology, pointed out that during the "incense meeting", the Chinese delegation met with the defense departments of many countries and international organizations, showing China's attitude of actively participating in joint management of regional affairs, and was willing to sit down and share China's views on relevant issues with all parties and deal with existing problems with a constructive attitude.
The outside world has noted that during the exchange, China is willing to share practices and display plans for the reference of all parties. Zhu Qichao said that this in itself is a manifestation of openness and transparency.
"We uphold the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, and China will listen carefully to some objective criticism from the outside world. However, we must also resolutely fight back against views that deliberately exaggerate, exaggerate or even slander China. The expert also pointed out that China is willing to join hands with those goodwill forces that care about regional peace and stability to maintain regional stability and prosperity and jointly build a better Asia-Pacific region. (End)