To Talk or Not to Talk: In US-China Communication Breakdown, Taiwan Question is the “Core of the Core”
China’s lack of interest in military-to-military communication with the US draws on cultural differences and shows China’s obsessive focus on solving the Taiwan issue according to its own interest.
“Communication is key” for all relationships, goes the old saying. This includes relationships between countries; at least the United States thinks so. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited China on June 18-19, which was the first visit by a top US official to that country in five years. His visit “emphasized the importance of maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of miscalculation.” However, his Chinese counterparts appeared uninterested in reviving dialogue, particularly military-to-military communication, anytime soon. Chinese explained this disinterest in terms of principle, saying that the country does not engage in “communication for the sake of communication,” and that communication should build upon “respecting each other and on an equal footing.” (hxxp://www.news[.]cn/2023-06/22/c_1129711459.htm)
