A spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry reported today that the U.S. Department of Defense has communicated with China and will make more communication and cooperation to ease tensions and avoid conflict, reported Global Times. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said on the Oct. 29 monthly press conference that the militaries of China and the U.S. were currently holding a virtual meeting for crisis communication, and more exchanges and consultations on issues, including maritime military security, will be held by the year’s end. Wu was apparently responding to a question about rumors of an “October Surprise” against China in the context of the U.S. election campaign, using MQ-9 military drones to attack Chinese islands in the South China Sea. Wu said U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper specifically clarified this issue through military and diplomatic channels, stating that the relevant reports do not match the facts and that the U.S. has no intention of creating a military crisis against China.
At his press conference, Senior Colonel Wu was also asked about the rumors that a Chinese stealth jet had been observed 500 km from Taiwan and that the Chinese army had deployed their hypersonic missiles in Fujian province opposite Taiwan. He said that he was not going to reveal the location of any military equipment, but underlined that China was well prepared to defend its territorial sovereignty.
Experts consulted by Global Times said that this shows that the U.S.-China military communications channel is, in fact, still functioning despite reports earlier in the year that it had been shut down. “Normally, the U.S. secretary of defense would not respond to such groundless rumors, but Esper has specifically sought out communication with China to clarify the rumors, showing that the U.S. really doesn’t want any accidents or miscalculations,” said Lü Xiang, a research fellow on U.S. studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. Lü argued that Esper and many other senior officials of the U.S. Department of Defense are wiser and more reasonable than what has been reported, as they know that any escalation of a military crisis with China at this moment, a few days ahead of the U.S. presidential election and a possible transition of power in the U.S., would be uncontrollable. Another expert, who requested anonymity, told Global Times that the U.S.-China military channel could help cool down the military tensions between China and the U.S.; that is, it is not the case as the outside world believes that China and the U.S. are in a situation where war is on the verge of breaking out.
