On the evening of September 9, Beijing time, a military hotline across the Pacific Ocean was finally connected. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video call with US Defense Secretary Hegsey at the request. This seemingly ordinary "hotline" is actually a key step in high-level military exchanges between China and the United States. More importantly, this is also the first official contact between the two countries' defense departments since Trump entered the White House again.
The timing of this call is also particularly sensitive. The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is about to kick off, and more than 100 national defense officials will gather in Beijing.
At the critical moment when countries are ready to express their security policy proposals, the US suddenly sent a signal that it would come to Beijing to attend the conference. And this phone call is likely to be rehearsing in advance for the "China-US script" of the Xiangshan Forum.
But surprisingly, Hegses on the other end of the phone was not soft-hearted and sent a tough signal as soon as he came up. China has been prepared for it. Minister Dong Jun did not take turns and directly drew two red lines on the spot, clearly indicating that Taiwan and the South China Sea are China's core interests, and any attempt to challenge these two red lines will be firmly countered.
This call seems calm, but in fact it is undercurrents, affecting the future direction of Sino-US military interaction. So the question is - why did the US Defense Minister take the initiative to call China at a critical moment? And why are you so tough in this communication? What kind of signals does the two red lines drawn by China send?
The military communication between China and the United States cannot solve all problems in just one phone call, but this phone call does reveal a new scene of the battle between the two sides.
At the end of August, Hegsesth had already communicated a call request to China through multiple channels. But at that time, China did not respond immediately, and even "cannot reply". Western media took the opportunity to exaggerate China's "coldness", but in fact, China's silence is a response to the US's provocative behavior in the early stage.
From the East China Sea to the South China Sea, US warships and aircraft frequently appear around China and even illegally break into China's territorial waters. Of course, China will not easily fall into the "communication trap" set by the other side.
Until September 3, China held a large-scale military parade, fully demonstrating the latest achievements in national defense modernization construction. Some analysts believe that this military parade not only demonstrated the strength of the Chinese military, but also had an impact on the US's strategic judgment.
The US Secretary of Defense immediately changed his words and said that he did not want to have conflicts with China, but only wanted to maintain his strategic advantage. This statement revealed that the US began to soften its posture in the military field, but said peace, but its actions did not restrain itself. On the evening of September 9, China finally answered the phone call from Hegsesth at the appointment.
This does not mean that China compromises, but rather takes the initiative strategically. It is obvious that China has long seen through the US routine of "conversation and suppression", so Dong Jun's defense secretary was straightforward during the call and directly opened his trump card: "The Taiwan issue is the core of core interests, and any attempt to 'use martial arts to assist independence' or 'use Taiwan to control China' cannot succeed."
He also made no ambiguity on the South China Sea issue, clearly oppose the US provocation and demand respect for China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. These two red lines are China's positive warning to the United States. Rather than drawing a red line, it is better to say that it has drawn a "minefield" in advance so that the US military cannot act rashly.
Hergeth did not give in, but instead showed a certain degree of toughness during the call. He tried to push the US to appear as a leader at the Xiangshan Forum, and even sent out a signal that the United States might send a high-level delegation or even lead the team himself. But China does not buy it. Xiangshan Forum is a global security dialogue platform, not a stage for the United States to unilaterally "performance".
Director Dong Jun mentioned "equality respect, peaceful coexistence, stability and positive" many times during the call, with his intentions very clear: if the US wants to participate, it must put aside its condescending attitude and truly put the dialogue into practice. China took the initiative to answer this call not because of pressure, but because of its own strategic considerations.
First, China hopes to create a good atmosphere for the upcoming Xiangshan Forum. If you can't even do basic communication, the Sino-US interaction during the forum may lack a consensus basis, which will intensify the contradictions.
Secondly, China finds out the intention of the US to attend the meeting in advance through the call. Are you going to disrupt the situation or participate seriously? Do you want to "wind" allies through the forum, or seek dialogue and cooperation? All of these need to be investigated in advance.
Third and most important, China used this phone call to respond to the international community's call for China and the United States to control differences. In the context of the current changing global security situation, the international community generally hopes that China and the United States can avoid conflicts through communication and maintain regional stability.
The influence of Xiangshan Forum is self-evident. This security event, to be held in Beijing, attracted senior defense officials from more than 100 countries to participate. For the United States, this is actually an opportunity to maintain ally relations at a low cost.
On a multilateral stage like the Xiangshan Forum, the United States can "go with the flow" and have private contact with representatives of Southeast Asia, Europe and other countries, and continue to promote its so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific Strategy."
Especially on the South China Sea issue, the United States has been trying to provoke disputes with the help of the Philippines and other countries. From Ren'ai Reef to Huangyan Island, from deploying the intermediary guide system to ships breaking into territorial waters, the US has made frequent moves. But China was not led by the rhythm, but chose another way to deal with it - upgrading Huangyan Island into a nature reserve and strengthening its control over the surrounding waters through laws and control means.
Behind this is actually an upgrade and transformation of external strategy. Instead of frequent confrontation at the military level, it is better to consolidate China's dominance in the South China Sea through systems, regulations and international cooperation. Huangyan Island's "protected zone" operation not only avoids excessive militarization, but also demonstrates a sovereign attitude, making the United States and the Philippines unable to find a breakthrough in the short term.
The US actually knows that China is not unwilling to communicate, but does not accept the communication method of "saying one thing and doing another". Before this call, the US demanded to "keep communication channels open" on many occasions, but it repeatedly challenged China's bottom line in its actions. The US warships broke into the South China Sea to support the "Taiwan independence" forces. Inspiring the Philippines to provoke on Renai Reef are all unacceptable.
So that Secretary of Defense of Dong Jun emphasized during the call that the stability of the relationship between the two militaries must be based on ">">">"Respect each other's core interests". To put it bluntly, if the US is calling for dialogue while making moves in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, then the so-called "communication" is meaningless empty talk.
This also explains why China has "can't read it back" to the US Defense Minister before. It’s not that he is cold in his attitude, but that he is not interested in “routine communication”. Only when the US is willing to show actual sincerity can China receive a positive response.
Now, the US Defense Minister finally waited for China's response, but failed to gain the upper hand. Although he sent a tough signal, China's statement was more firm. Secretary Dong Jun not only drew a red line, but also put forward specific suggestions on the control of the relationship between the two armies, hoping to build a stable and positive relationship to avoid misjudgment and control differences.
Especially on international hot issues, such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the situation in the Middle East, China once again emphasized its consistent position of "dialogue and consultation to resolve disputes" and raised doubts about the US's keen on "military intervention". This difference in security concepts is also reflected in the tone and content of the entire call.
China hopes for multilateral consultation and peaceful coexistence, but the United States is more accustomed to forming cliques and demonstrating its force. This call was actually a head-on collision of China-US security concepts.
China has made clear its attitude and will not make any compromises on sovereignty and security issues. Whether it is Taiwan or the South China Sea, it is China's untouchable core interests. Anyone who wants to try to challenge must bear the consequences.
If the US wants to make a difference at the Xiangshan Forum, it must first take practical actions. China welcomes dialogue, but will never accept "interference under dialogue packaging". These two red lines are both warnings and signals. How China-US military relations develop in the future depends on whether the US can truly "respect China's core interests" rather than continue to test on the edge of the red line.
The call between China and the United States seems to have opened the door to communication, but in fact it has kicked off a new round of strategic game. China took the initiative to clarify the bottom line. The US wanted to take the opportunity to manipulate the situation, but had no way out in the face of the "red line". This confrontation has just begun.
Information source:
Dong Jun had a video call with the US Secretary of Defense
2025-09-10 20:19·China Military Network
