PC: CNBC

China Rejects U.S. Talks, Says Washington Must Face ‘Serious Consequences’

China’s Defense Ministry Monday defended its decision to refuse military talks with the United States, saying Washington will bear serious consequences for Pelosi’s trip to Taipei.

Pelosi’s visit last week infuriated China, which regards Taiwan as its own and responded by launching ballistic missiles over Taipei for the first time as well as dumping some dialogue with Washington.

“The current tense situation in the Taiwan Strait is entirely provoked and created by the U.S. side on its own initiative, and the U.S. side must bear full responsibility and serious consequences for this,” the defence ministry Qu Qian said in a statement posted online.

“The bottom line cannot be broken, and communication requires sincerity,” Wu said.

Sunday was the end of four days of unprecedented drills. Security analysts are concerned that the situation in the Taiwan Strait, especially near the unofficial median line buffer, remains tense, despite Chinese authorities having not officially confirmed they have ended.

10 Chinese and Taiwanese warships maneuvered close to the line yesterday, a person familiar with the situation has confirmed, a security planner who is involved in the planning.

The island’s defense ministry said Chinese ships, aircraft, and drones practiced attacking the island and its navy. It has sent planes and ships to react to the event appropriately.

As Pelosi left the region, on Friday China suspended formal talks between theatre-level commands, defense policy coordination, and military maritime consultations.
Pentagon, State Department, and White House officials denounced the move, saying it was irresponsible overreaction.

Analysts and diplomats say China’s cutting of some of its few communication links with the U.S. military raises the danger of an accident escalation over Taiwan at a critical moment.

An official in the U.S. noted that officials in China have not been responding to calls from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in recent days, but have not interpreted this as a signal that the Chinese and senior officials in the U.S. are going to terminate their formal relationship.

Defense ministry spokesman Wu responded directly to those reports, saying “China’s relevant countermeasures are a necessary warning to the provocations of the United States and Taiwan, and a legitimate defense of national sovereignty and security”.