As the leaders of China and the United States prepare for a possible summit in the coming weeks, tensions between the two militaries continue to ferment, indicating that the two countries are facing difficulties in handling an extremely sensitive area of bilateral relations.
This week, at a security conference held in Beijing, this discord became the main focus of attention. Amidst the raging wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a senior Chinese general at the meeting implicitly criticized Washington's foreign policy and military posture, believing that these policies and postures pose a serious threat to world peace and stability.
General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, said, "Some countries are afraid of maintaining stability in the world and intentionally creating turbulence,... interfering in the internal affairs of other countries to reap the benefits of the situation." The commission is responsible for commanding the People's Liberation Army of China.
Zhang Youxia said in a speech at the Xiangshan Forum held on Monday that wherever these countries reach out, there can be no peace. Senior defense officials from multiple countries around the world participated in this forum.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shougu also echoed, using his speech at the forum to accuse the United States and its Western allies of undermining Russia's security interests and potentially triggering a major conflict.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, Shoigu said that the Western insistence on escalating the conflict with Russia could lead to direct military conflicts between nuclear powers, which would have catastrophic consequences.
General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, attended the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.
  White House spokesperson Karine Jean Pierre confirmed the summit on Tuesday when answering questions, saying it would be a constructive meeting. The attitude of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not so clear, with a spokesperson saying on Monday, 'The journey to San Francisco will not be smooth sailing'.
If the Xi Jinping meeting can be held, it will provide a platform for the two major powers of the United States and China to improve their tense relations. Earlier this year, against the backdrop of a dispute over a suspected Chinese reconnaissance balloon flying over the United States, there was a significant decline in US China relations.
With a series of high-level meetings between diplomats and economic officials from both sides in recent months, the US China relationship has initially thawed, but this thaw has not yet extended to the field of defense.
Michael Chase, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Defense Department in charge of China, Taiwan and Mongolia affairs, said at a meeting of the Atlantic Council last week that the US side hopes to restore military relations from multiple levels, but "we regret to see that the PLA has generally rejected, cancelled or ignored most of our proposals, from regular annual dialogue to high-level leadership contacts."
US officials are disappointed with their limited military contact with China. In recent years, China has lowered the level of defense dialogue with the US government and later almost cut off these communication channels in response to the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022. China claims Taiwan to be a part of its territory.
Washington also accused the Chinese People's Liberation Army of adopting a more confrontational stance, such as intercepting American planes and warships in what US officials described as dangerous ways. US officials say there is a need to strengthen communication to prevent such encounters from triggering confrontation, while Chinese military scholars say Beijing hopes that the United States will feel the danger of sending planes and ships close to territories controlled or claimed by China.
The last formal meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Secretary was at the end of last year. Subsequently, Austin attempted to arrange a meeting with then Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu at the annual security conference held in Singapore in June of this year, but the Chinese government refused the invitation to meet with the US on the grounds of US sanctions against Li Shangfu.
Austin declined the invitation from the Chinese government to attend the Xiangshan Forum, but the US Department of Defense sent a lower level delegation to attend this week's Xiangshan Forum event as a precedent.
Russian Defense Minister Xie Shaoigu (center) accused the United States and its Western allies of undermining Russia's security interests.
Zhang Youxia said that ministers of defense and military chiefs of nearly 50 countries attended this year's Xiangshan Forum, which is the first offline event since COVID-19.
Shaoigu's attendance contrasts sharply with the absence of Western defense ministers, highlighting the partnership between China and Russia, which both countries portray as a counterweight to Western hegemony. In his speech on Monday, Zhang Youxia reiterated China's call for a peaceful dialogue to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Gaza, and stated during talks with Shoigu that China is willing to work together with Russia to actively respond to various security threats and challenges, and work together to maintain global strategic balance and stability.
According to a social media account under China Central Television, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Wu Qian, had a brief conversation with Cynthia XantiCarras, Deputy Director of China Affairs and head of the US delegation to the US Department of Defense. The post on the account did not specify what the two officials had discussed.
Zhang Youxia opened the door to the resumption of military level dialogue between China and the United States in his speech on Monday. He said that the key to resolving differences lies in sincere communication between the parties involved. He expressed that China is willing to develop military relations with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
The Chinese government currently does not have a Minister of Defense, and Li Shangfu was dismissed from his position last week, but no successor was appointed. In China's political system, the Minister of National Defense is mainly responsible for military diplomacy and is not responsible for commanding combat operations.
Assistant Secretary of Defense, Deputy Director of China Affairs, and head of the US delegation, Carles, attended the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.
Drew Thompson, a visiting senior researcher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, said that while the interests and strategic positions of both China and the United States remain unchanged, communication channels may open up but will not be effective; Exchange conversation points like a fax machine.
  Middle level meetings between officials will not change the views of high-level officials on interests and threats.
Li Shangfu's "disappearance" has attracted the attention of foreign officials, some of whom have expressed concerns about the difficulty of engaging with China, an opaque government. For example, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel believes that China's lack of a defense minister is a dangerous obstacle to crisis management among major powers.
Emmanuel recently said in a podcast with American comedian Conan O'Brien, "China can make a lot of contributions to the world, but if you have 500 nuclear weapons - who will be responsible? Because if we want to avoid any major events in the next three weeks, we want to know, is it to make an 800 collect call or who should we call. When it comes to the Minister of Defense, you can never say 'I won't tell you'. This podcast was recorded shortly after the Chinese government announced the dismissal of Li Shangfu.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not appeared in public since the end of August, and US officials say he has been dismissed. Before Li Shangfu, other senior officials in China disappeared from public view for unknown reasons, which deepened doubts about China's governance.