Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said on Monday that there's no reason to think that the ties between China and the United States have come to its worse, despite the cancellation of his trip to China and the apparent trade tensions the two countries have currently been dealing with.
Just recently, the Pentagon called off its initial plans for the US Defense Secretary to visit Beijing following China's decision to pull out its own naval chief, Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong, from the security talks late last week, according to the Voice of America News. The said Chinese official was supposed to attend the meeting in Newport, Rhode Island.
Mattis' trip was never finalized in the first place and the office opted not to participate in the said international security summit without prior notice to the public.
In his press statement, the US military official did acknowledge the fact that there's really some friction happening between China. However, based on discussions made during the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York, there's no reason to believe that the relationship is getting worse.
According to Mattis, what is left to do now is to learn to manage the relationship and sort out any issues that may impede its development.
With regards to military talks with China, Mattis remained optimistic that he would be able to discuss in person with his Chinese counterparts when the right time has come.
Inciting Incident
As stated in this previous report from the site, China's Defense Ministry recalled the top-ranking official from the military conference after Washington imposed sanctions on one of the ministry's key department and its respective officials following the Russian military equipment.
In a statement, the US State Department said that China's move to procure Russian Su-35 combat planes and several S-400 Surface-to-Air Missiles from Kremlin is in direct violation of its sanctions on Russia.
In response, Beijing said that the transaction between the Equipment Development Department (EDD) and Russia's Rosoboronexport is of no concern by the US, let alone, China's initiative to upgrade and develop its weapons arsenal.
The State Department, however, clarified later that the new round of sanctions will only target the Russian side and not China or any of its agencies in the armed forces.
On China's defense, Kremlin reiterated the importance of this military transaction to the Asian powerhouse which should not be undermined with just any sanctions. The former Soviet Union will remain committed to the weapons deal with Beijing.
