To hold military dialogue, Washington has to give up doublespeak, double standard: China Daily editorial

The fuss some US media outlets made over the news last week that an Australian delegation will attend the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum to be held from Sunday to Tuesday suggested a catastrophe was coming because a US ally had decided to take part in a security forum hosted by China.

Yet the calmness with which the same US media treated the US' decision on Tuesday to attend the same forum comes as a bit of a surprise. Perhaps they don't know how to react given their tendency to lash out at China at the drop of a hat.

The belligerent US media and the diehard China-bashers in Washington have to accept that both China and the United States are making efforts, in fields such as defense and finance, to repair bilateral ties. The working teams the two sides formed last month concluded their first talks on Tuesday which have been described as "in-depth, candid and constructive" interactions on issues of common concern.

Moreover, at the invitation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit the US from Thursday to Saturday, presumably to prepare for a possible meeting between leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco next month.

By agreeing to send a delegation to the Xiangshan Forum, the US has sent an unmistakable signal that it is looking to "resume" high-level military exchanges with China, which stopped mainly due to the moves the US military has been making to interfere in China's internal affairs, the Taiwan question in particular, attack China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, mainly in the South China Sea, as well as the slew of illegal sanctions it imposed on senior Chinese defense officials and military entities.

More than 90 countries and international organizations have confirmed participation in the forum, themed "common security, lasting peace", making it an important platform for deepening exchanges on global security against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts.

It is hoped the US would use the forum to deepen its understanding of China's concerns over the stopping of Sino-US high-level military exchanges. It is also hoped the US would realize that provoking China with regard to its core interests renders the atmosphere non-conducive to meetings.

If the US believes it can use its muscle flexing in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and its efforts to coax allies in the region to confront China, as bargaining chips in a dialogue with China, it is making a wrong strategic judgment.

China will never yield to US military coercion. If Washington really wants to engage in constructive military exchanges with Beijing, it should refrain from making provocative moves and meet China halfway to promote regional peace and stability.