Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu spoke at the Asian Security Conference held in Singapore and strongly condemned the United States and other countries regarding Taiwan. On the other hand, regarding the U.S.-China relationship, he said, "It is necessary for the U.S. side to show sincerity and promote stability in the relationship," and asked the U.S. side to make concessions.
Defense Minister Lee Sang-fu gave a speech titled "China's New Security Initiative" in Singapore on May 4, stating that he would like to "join hands with other countries for the prosperity and stability of the world."
On the other hand, he emphasized that Taiwan is "the core of its core interests" and stated that "the root of the tense situation is that external forces are using Taiwan to suppress China and interfere in China's internal affairs."
He then stated, "We would like to achieve peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and efforts, but we do not promise to renounce the use of force," reiterating the policy of Xi Jinping's leadership.
In conjunction with this meeting, China was approached by the United States but refused, and the US media and others reported that the reason why the Chinese side refused was that Defense Minister Li was opposed to being sanctioned by the US government.
In his speech, Defense Minister Li commented on the relationship with the United States, saying, "The international community hopes for the sound and stable development of bilateral relations. I hope to get our bilateral relations out of the predicament and get them back on the right track," he said, expressing a positive attitude toward dialogue between the defense officials of the United States and China, while asking the U.S. side to make concessions.