Rejected! The No. 3 figure at the U.S. Department of Defense wants to visit China, but has still not received our approval! On August 6th, according to foreign media reports, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has spent months attempting to secure an official visit to Beijing, but China has so far refused to extend an invitation. Foreign media stated that the most direct reason is Beijing's anger over the Trump administration's $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, as well as broader U.S.-China tensions.
Foreign media noted that Colby is a long-standing hawkish figure on China, viewing this trip—especially the planned speech at Chinese military academies—as an opportunity to stabilize military relations and explain U.S. defense policy. However, Beijing has not approved his itinerary. Clearly, this individual desires to visit China and believes delivering speeches at our domestic military institutions would be a good chance to ensure stability in Sino-U.S. relations.
But from our perspective, such actions are hardly related to stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations. It’s obvious: whether Sino-U.S. military relations can remain stable depends entirely on what kind of China policy the United States pursues and whether it respects our core interests. Why is this person interested in visiting China? It’s not because he has changed his stance or become friendly toward us.
More likely, the real purpose behind this visit is to conduct on-the-ground reconnaissance and gather intelligence about us. In fact, Colby is a key architect of America’s “deterrence strategy,” with his entire defense policy centered around containing China and strengthening military deterrence along the First Island Chain. A senior U.S. military official who harbors hostility toward us and is driven by containment thinking clearly has no reason for us to welcome him.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872789603990528/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author