A Chinese newspaper warned on Saturday in an editorial that the fragile relationship between the United States and China could result in a war between the two countries.
The warning comes more than a month after President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November. The face-to-face meeting was the first between the two superpowers in a year and occurred during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. The meeting was seen as a crucial step in restoring normal communications between the U.S. and China and to prevent the rivalry between the two countries from escalating.
However, the Global Times, a nationalistic English-language tabloid published by the propaganda department of the ruling Communist Party, warned on Saturday that a minor incident could do just that.
"But behind the high expectations are people's concerns about the possibility of a minor incident that could spark a war or even an uncontrollable risk between China and the US, the two great powers," the newspaper's editorial read.
The editorial, titled "Chinese, US military talks a 'positive signal,' but this is just the first step," also examined a Thursday video meeting between top military officials General Liu Zhenli of China and General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Global Times, whose views do not always reflect official policy in China, touted the meeting as "one of the important outcomes of the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and US heads of state," and wrote that the meeting was "substantive" and "a significant step" in bettering the relationships between the two military powers. Then, the newspaper warned that the U.S. was only one misstep away from sparking a war.
The two military entities allegedly stopped speaking when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in July 2022 despite China's stern warnings against the action. Tensions have tightened as the U.S. conducts frequent transits of the sensitive waters in the Taiwan Strait with American and allied aircraft and vessels.
"As the US military increases its close-in reconnaissance of China's southeastern coast and interference in the Taiwan Straits situation, the risk of direct military friction between China and the US has risen significantly, and Washington feels uneasy about this kind of development," the Global Times wrote, adding that Liu attended the meeting on behalf of Brown's invitation.
"But what is the fundamental purpose of military exchanges between the two countries? There is a difference in the two sides' perceptions, which requires Washington in particular to have a full understanding of the key points emphasized by Beijing during the exchanges."
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement that military-to-military communications are important to prevent unintended conflict.
"President Biden and President Xi welcomed the resumption of military-to-military communication during their meeting last month. This includes high-level military-to-military communication, talks between theater commanders, policy talks, and operator-level exchanges focused on safe interactions at sea," the statement said.
"We are clear-eyed about these engagements. Military-to-military communications are in our interest. They are important to prevent miscalculation and unintended conflict, clarify intentions, and ensure the safety of our servicemembers. It is important that these channels stay open at all levels, and at all times, even in times of tension."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Central Command and the White House by email for comment.
The editorial also said that the U.S. has "never given enough respect" to China's "core interests and major concerns," adding that those actions are the "root cause of the danger."
"If Washington does not recognize this issue, then the risk of military confrontation between China and the US will always exist," the Global Times wrote, before declaring that the U.S. must change its behavior if it hopes to improve its relationship with China.
It is not the first time the Global Times has issued ominous warnings against the U.S. In October, it claimed that America is "inciting the risk of war on a global scale." And earlier this year, the Global Times slammed the U.S. for its $80 million military financing program for Taiwan.
Update 12/26/23, 9:03 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the U.S. State Department.
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