US State Department: US and China held candid exchanges on maritime issues
WVR - According to the US State Department, on November 3rd in Beijing, US and China held candid exchanges on maritime issues, including the situation in the East Sea.
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| China Coast Guard’s boat dropped float roped at the East Sea’s Scarborough Shoal on September 20th. (Source: Reuters) |
Specifically, Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Taiwan (China) Mark B. Lambert met with People’s Republic of China (PRC) Director-General for Boundary and Ocean Affairs Hong Liang.
At the meeting, the US representative underscored concerns with PRC’s actions on the East Sea. He also mentioned an incident on October 10th, as Washington accused Chinese fighter planes of dangerously approaching an American bomber in the East Sea. Prior to that, the US also raised its concern as China’s J-11 fighter plan of closely followed a B-52 bomber with only distance of 3 meters, leading to higher chances of collision.
State Department’s press release wrote: “This consultation was a part of on-going efforts of keeping open line of communication and managing the US-China relations responsibly”. The US also “repeated that it is important to re-connecting military-miltary channels to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculations”. State Department also described the meeting as “substantial, constructive and candid”.
The meeting happened after recent high-ranking diplomatic activities prior to the scheduled Summit between US President Joe Biden and PRC President Xi Jinping on the occasion of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)’s Economic Leaders’ Week in the middle of November in San Francisco, US.
