U.S.' Mattis looks for 'way ahead' after China scraps military talks

By Phil Stewart

 

FILE PHOTO - U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends a news conference in Skopje, Macedonia September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday he was seeking a way ahead for military ties with China after Beijing postponed military talks in protest at last week's U.S. decision to impose sanctions over China's purchase of Russian weaponry.

 

Mattis travelled to China in June in an attempt to deepen military-to-military dialogue with Beijing, even as Sino-U.S. trade tensions climb and anxiety in Washington grows over China's modernization of its armed forces and its increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.

 

"We believe that we do have to have a relationship with China and Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo and I are of one mind on this," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

 

"And so we're sorting out the way ahead right now."

 

China's Defence Ministry has said it would recall navy chief Shen Jinlong from a visit to the United States and postpone planned talks in Beijing between Chinese and U.S. military officials that had been set for next week.

 

It added that China's military reserved the right to take further countermeasures.

 

At the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn confirmed that the U.S. military had been informed that China's Navy chief would no longer meet America's top naval officer, Admiral John Richardson.

 

"We have no additional information at this time," he said. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on China's Equipment Development Department, the branch of the military responsible for weapons procurement, after it engaged in "significant transactions" with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter.

 

The sanctions are related to China's purchase of 10 SU-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018, the State Department said.

 

The sanctions are aimed at Russia. They fall under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, which was signed into law in 2017 to punish Russia for meddling in U.S. elections, aggression in Ukraine and involvement in Syria's civil war.

 

The mobile S-400 batteries, which include radars, a control system, and missiles with a range of up to 250 miles (400 km), were first deployed in Russia in 2007 and are considered Moscow's most effective defense against aircraft, missiles and drones.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-25

Sir you are wasting your time donald has wrecked anything constrictive gonna have to wait till after trump 

Let's see, you are imposing sanctions against the Chinese military for NOT buying AMERICAN overcharged crap weapons and your über coco in the White House is also running a trade war against the country... good luck getting any constructive military talks going soon............

6 hours ago, webfact said:

China's purchase of 10 SU-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018, the State Department said.

The USA has to protest or else they'd realize they just bought a pig in a poke. When Russia and China understand that those weapon systems are already obsolete they'll work on newer better systems. Good for America if their enemies feel over confident. 

Whatever happened to "talk softly and carry a big stick?"

 

Now they would pick a fight whilst bellowing in their sleep,not to mention the frenzied posting on twitter- a weird case of digital somnambulism.

 

Hopefully the Chinese will just ignore them.

9 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

The USA has to protest or else they'd realize they just bought a pig in a poke. When Russia and China understand that those weapon systems are already obsolete they'll work on newer better systems. Good for America if their enemies feel over confident. 

Really?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-air-superiority-in-syria-clouded-by-russian-s-400/

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/who-care-about-russias-stealth-fighter-su-35-plane-air-force-should-fear-27997

 

Simply fixed... amendment 25.... use it with the enthusiasm that amendment two garners, and just perhaps this will restore international confidence in the US system and potus.

 

Meanwhile I see that Russia has just given Syria a serious anti isreal (anti US) missile system.... and imho, expecting Iran to receive something that makes a big bang, before long, isn’t as crazy as trump.

Edited September 25, 20187 yr by farcanell

China fills the void of the USA in every area.  Trump has turned the tables to increase China's power in the world at a time when its rise is already increasing at a rapid pace.  Trumps alienating allies has also forced them to deal with China on trade.

Xi's intellect is light years ahead of Trumps

1 hour ago, Redline said:

China fills the void of the USA in every area.  Trump has turned the tables to increase China's power in the world at a time when its rise is already increasing at a rapid pace.  Trumps alienating allies has also forced them to deal with China on trade.

Xi's intellect is light years ahead of Trumps

A burnt out stump of a candle is light years ahead of trump’s intellect

A burnt out stump of a candle is light years ahead of trump’s intellect

And yet he beat every other Republican candidate and Hillary. Says a lot for the American peoples opinion of the alternative/status quo choices doesn’t it.

6 minutes ago, KMartinHandyman said:

And yet he beat every other Republican candidate and Hillary. Says a lot for the American peoples opinion of the alternative/status quo choices doesn’t it.

Or the quality of candidates and the intelligence of the electorate