On the evening of September 9, Chinese Secretary of Defense Dong Jun held a video call with US Secretary of Defense Hegsey at the request. This is the first direct communication between senior Chinese and US military leaders since Trump's second term. Less than 24 hours later, Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Rubio again. The two high-level dialogues are so intensive and focus on the Taiwan Strait issue. What are the strategic considerations and changes in the situation behind them?
The two high-level calls between China and the United States have tight time, but the content is closely related to the Taiwan Strait issue. In his conversation with Hegsesth, Minister Dong Jun clearly pointed out that any plot and interference of "using military force to assist independence" and "using Taiwan to control China" will be thwarted. He stressed that China's achievement of complete reunification is an irresistible historical trend and there is no room for compromise on safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The next day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also made it clear in his call with Rubio that the US must be cautious in his words and actions on issues such as Taiwan that involve China's core interests. He pointed out that the negative words and deeds taken by the US recently have damaged China's legitimate rights and interests and interfered in China's internal affairs, which is not conducive to the improvement and development of Sino-US relations. During the two calls, both senior Chinese officials issued the same warning to the United States: the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests and there is no room for compromise.
This call between China and the United States Defense Ministers was held "as agreed", which means that the United States took the initiative to request this dialogue. After the call, Hegseyth stated that the United States did not seek conflict with China. But he also emphasized that the United States has crucial interests in the Asia-Pacific strategic region, and the United States will firmly safeguard these interests. In other words, on the one hand, the United States tries not to confront China head-on, and on the other hand, it cannot lose a single bit of its territory and interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
After the Trump administration came to power, it began to promote the "America First" policy, emphasizing the reduction of foreign aid and the reduction of military deployment. Especially in the defense budget for fiscal year 2025, arms sales to Taiwan have shrunk by 20%, and support for Taiwan has been significantly weakened. This change made the Lai Ching-te administration feel a strong sense of crisis. He knew that if the US lost its asylum, the DPP’s “Taiwan independence” line would be unsustainable. What's worse is that according to polls, Lai Ching-te's approval rating has dropped to 28%, and his dissatisfaction has exceeded 55%. People's livelihood issues, inflationary pressure, flood disaster follow-up, and the island's general recall have occurred one after another, and the people on the island are increasingly disappointed with the DPP's rule. China's position on the Taiwan issue has always been very clear.
On May 14, Chen Binhua, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said, "No matter what the leaders of Taiwan say or how they say it, they cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China." Emphasizing that the general trend of national reunification is unstoppable. In order to make the general trend of unification clearer, China also demonstrated its strong military strength through military parades. During the military parade on September 3, heavy weapons such as Dongfeng-5C, Dongfeng-61, Julang-3, and hypersonic missiles were all unveiled, showing a trend of "full-time alert and effective deterrence".
Under this background, China has always emphasized the need to uphold an open attitude, maintain communication and exchanges, and build a bimilial relationship with equal respect, peaceful coexistence, and stable and positive. But at the same time, it is clearly stated that "containment, deterrence, and interference in China are absolutely not feasible." If the two giant ships of China and the United States want to move forward together without deviating from speeding up, they must adhere to the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries and adhere to the implementation of the important consensus of the two countries without any compromise.
It is worth mentioning that this call was not without gains. Both sides believe that the call was timely, necessary, and effective. They emphasized the need to further play the strategic leading role of the head of state diplomacy in Sino-US relations, properly manage differences, explore practical cooperation, and promote the stable development of Sino-US relations. But we must also be clear-headed that the basic trend of US strategic competition with China has not changed. Recently, the United States has been increasing arms sales to Taiwan, and has made continuous small moves on the South China Sea issue. Therefore, listening to what he says and obeys what he does is the key.
