The United States and the Chinese side had a high-level phone call, and the Chinese side finally met the request of the American side. During the call, Chinese General Liu Zhenli made two important demands in the presence of Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. First of all, he stressed that the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair and brooks no foreign interference, and that the US should earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and stability and the overall situation of China-US relations. This is an important diplomatic exchange and a critical moment in China-US relations. Last year, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan sparked a series of disputes between China and the United States.
In response, China announced eight countermeasures, including canceling the scheduled phone call between the theater leaders of the Chinese and US militaries and the meeting of the China-US Maritime Military Security Consultative Mechanism. These measures have hindered exchanges and communication between the Chinese and American militaries. However, at the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and US heads of state in November this year, China and the United States reached a number of consensuses, including the resumption of high-level communication between the two militaries, which laid the foundation for the official phone call between the Chinese and US military leaders. During this call, Liu Zhenli put forward two important demands, namely the Taiwan issue and the South China Sea issue. The Taiwan issue has always been China's core interest and an insurmountable political red line in Sino-US relations.
Although the US side pays lip service to the one-China principle, it has frequently provoked in practice, such as recently approving a new batch of arms sales to Taiwan. Liu Zhenli demanded that the United States refrain from interfering in the Taiwan issue, which is also China's core interest. After the confrontation between China and the Philippines at Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao, the US openly threatened to "use force" against China, and Liu Zhenli urged the US side to earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and stability and the overall situation of China-US relations. This phone call fully demonstrated China's attitude and sincerity, and whether the US side can respond positively and continue to maintain good communication and dialogue with the top level of the Chinese side will become the focus of attention.
This is not only about Sino-US relations, but also about peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. It is hoped that all parties can handle their relations with an open mind, respect each other, and handle their relations well.