Chinese defence minister says war with US would be 'unbearable disaster', seeks dialogue

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has said a conflict with the United States would be an "unbearable disaster" for the world. Li made the comment during the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore over the weekend, adding that Beijing seeks dialogue over confrontation.

"China and the US have different systems and are different in many other ways," said Li who was giving his first major speech since taking on the role.

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"However, this should not keep the two sides from seeking common ground and common interests to grow bilateral ties and deepen cooperation," he said.

"It is undeniable that a severe conflict or confrontation between China and the US will be an unbearable disaster for the world."

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Beijing blames Washington

The statement by Li comes after he declined an invitation to meet with his US counterpart Llyod Austin, along the sidelines of Asia’s top security summit.

Beijing shot down the plans and blamed the US for the recent escalation in tension. It said Washington should “earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and security interests and concerns, immediately correct the wrongdoing, show sincerity, and create the necessary atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication between the two militaries".

Austin termed the cancellation of the meeting as 'unfortunate', adding that without dialogue, any small incident could "spiral out of control".

"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," he said.

"We would hope that they would alter their actions, but since they haven't yet, I'm concerned about at some point having an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control."

Tensions rise between the two nations

Both China and US have been at each other's case over myriad issues, ranging from Taiwan to territorial disputes in the South China Sea to US President's heavy-handedness on semiconductor chip exports to Beiji.ng.

However, the recent flare-up in relations came last week when the US military alleged that the Chinese navy carried out “unsafe manoeuvres” near a US destroyer transiting the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Previously, the two nations locked horns when a Chinese plane “flew directly in front of and within 400 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence".

In a declassified video footage, a fighter plane could be seen crossing in front of the American aircraft which appears to be shaking due to the resulting turbulence.

(With inputs from agencies)

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