Secretary Mattis Visits Beijing

On Wednesday, June 27, Secretary of Defense James Mattis met  with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting took place in the context of recently increased economic conflict between the two nations. Both the United States and China have been implementing steep tariffs against one another. Various issues were discussed at the talks including North Korean denuclearization and the South China Sea conflicts.

The most significant issue discussed deals with the continued militarization of islands by China within the South China Sea. China has long claimed that their reason for building in the South China Sea, including construction of military facilities over the last several years, relates to defensive purposes only. Secretary Mattis reinforced the U.S. position that the islands lie in international waters and that China must adhere to international law regarding the them.

This is not the first time that China has been told it needs to follow international law. In May Mattis said that China was “out of step” with its interpretation of international law with respect to these international waters and islands.

Secretary Mattis’ visit to China comes just weeks after China was disinvited from a large scale military exercise in the Pacific Ocean, a move many saw as a signal from Washington of the continued growing concern over China’s actions in the South China Sea.

The issue with China taking over islands in the South China Sea is not a new one. Since 2013, China has been engaged in the building of large military outposts on various coral reefs and islands within the South China Sea including the installment of anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on at least three of these islands.

Further complicating the issue is that five other countries also lay claim to the islands that China is building on: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Mattis made it clear that freedom to navigate the international waters within the South China Sea is something the United States takes very seriously and always seeks to promote. China needs to respect the international laws dictating control over islands and ocean areas.

Another serious point that was discussed centered on how to ensure that North Korea follows through with the agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe had an open and honest discussion with Secretary Mattis and both sides agreed that North Korea should ultimately give up its nuclear weapons. China, being North Korea’s main source of aid and diplomatic support, said that the approach to denuclearization should be “phased and synchronous” instead of Washington’s preference for an instant and total end to a nuclear program.

China does not want to see the denuclearization take place to fast due to the benefit that they receive from North Korea having nuclear weapons. For the Chinese, denuclearization is very much a double edge sword. On the one hand, North Korean denuclearization will hurt China economically because they will lose their monopoly on products and supplies going to North Korea. China provides North Korea with food and energy supplies, and in 2015 China and North Korea launched a bulk cargo and container shipping route between the two countries.  China also fears a regime collapse. If this were to happen China would be faced with a potential refugee crisis on its border, in addition to the loss of the buffer that the North Korea regime provides between its border and that of the U.S.-allied South Korea. On the other hand, having North Korea denuclearize promotes peace in the region which is already rife with hostility over land and international boundaries.