‘Not even one inch’
> Xi refuses to budge on territorial claims in talks with Mattis
BEIJING: China is committed to peace but cannot give up “even one inch” of territory that the country’s ancestors left behind, Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday during his first visit to Beijing.
Xi’s remarks underscored deep-rooted areas of tension in Sino-US ties, particularly over what the Pentagon views as China’s militarisation of the South China Sea, a vital transit route for world trade.
But irritants in US-China relations extend to other sensitive areas, including fears of a full-blown trade war between the world economic heavyweights.
Beijing is also deeply suspicious of US intentions towards self-governing Taiwan, which is armed by the US. China views the island as a sacred part of its territory.
Meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi told Mattis that China had only peaceful intentions and would not “cause chaos”, state television reported.
Both countries’ common interests far outweigh differences, but on territorial issues there can be no concessions, Xi said, without referring to specific areas.
“We cannot lose even one inch of the territory left behind by our ancestors. What is other people’s, we do not want at all,” state television cited Xi as saying.
Mattis, in comments in front of reporters, told Xi the talks had been “very, very” good.
“I am happy to be in China and we are assigning the same high degree of importance to the military relationship” with China, Mattis said.
That relationship has been tested in recent months. In May, the Pentagon withdrew an invitation to China to join a multinational naval exercise, citing China’s military moves in the South China Sea. The US decision upset Beijing and was raised during Mattis’ talks, officials said.
US defence officials told reporters that the talks were generally positive. While both acknowledged points of friction, they also sought to focus on areas of alignment including a shared goal of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. – Reuters