China’s Defense Chief Says US Has to Improve Bilateral Relationship

China's State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe salutes after his plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 12, 2022. (Reuters)
China's State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe salutes after his plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 12, 2022. (Reuters)
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China’s Defense Chief Says US Has to Improve Bilateral Relationship

China's State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe salutes after his plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 12, 2022. (Reuters)
China's State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe salutes after his plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 12, 2022. (Reuters)

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Sunday that it was up to the United States to improve the bilateral relationship, as ties were at a critical juncture.

Repeating several times at an Asian security meeting that China only sought peace and stability, and was not an aggressor, he called on the United States to "strengthen solidarity and oppose confrontation and division".

He said China firmly rejected "US smearing, accusations and even threats" in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting on Saturday.

"We request the US side to stop smearing and containing China. Stop interfering in China's internal affairs. The bilateral relationship cannot improve unless the US side can do that," Wei, dressed in the uniform of a general in the People's Liberation Army, told delegates.

Austin said on Saturday there had been an "alarming" increase in the number of unsafe and unprofessional encounters between Chinese planes and vessels with those of other countries. He added that the United States would stand by its allies, including Taiwan.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has taken center stage at the meeting, and Wei made a point of saying China supported peace talks and opposed "providing weapons, applying maximum pressure". He said China had not provided any material support to Russia.

"What is the root cause of this crisis? Who is the mastermind behind this? Who loses the most? And who stands to gain the most? Who is promoting peace and who is adding fuel to the fire? I think we all know the answers to these questions," he said, without addressing them or stating China's position.

Meia Nouwens, a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Wei’s speech was consistent with Beijing’s official line on Russia-Ukraine issues.

"He did also underline that China is a partner of Russia and not an ally of Russia and that they do not have an alliance," she said. "They're underlining that at the end of the day, Chinese policy has always been to pursue China's own interests and not tie itself to those other countries."

In an address via video link on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned delegates that the invasion of his nation threatened the rules-based order and put the entire world in danger of famine and food crises.

Unchanged on Taiwan
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbor's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Addressing the issue of Taiwan, Wei said China's position on the island, which Beijing views as a province, was unchanged. He said the Chinese government sought "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan but reserved "other options".

"China will definitely realize its reunification," Wei said. "Those who pursue Taiwan independence in an attempt to split China will definitely come to no good end."

In Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Sunday that the island does not want to close the door to China and is willing to engage in the spirit of goodwill, but on an equal basis and without political preconditions.

South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said at the Singapore meeting that his country would enhance its defense capabilities and work closely with the United States and Japan to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threat. The South would also help North Korea if it denuclearised, he said.

Fiji's Defense Minister Inia Seruiratu said that for all the focus on military matters at Shangri-La Dialogue, more pressing threats were being ignored.

"In our blue Pacific continent, machine guns, fighter jets, grey ships and green battalions are not our primary security concern," Seruiratu said. "The single greatest threat to our very existence is climate change. It threatens our very hopes and dreams of prosperity."



Arrests Made in Türkiye over Calls for Shopping Boycott to Support Istanbul's Imprisoned Mayor

Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Arrests Made in Türkiye over Calls for Shopping Boycott to Support Istanbul's Imprisoned Mayor

Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish police detained 11 people Thursday for supporting a shopping boycott as part of protests against the imprisonment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival, state-run media reported.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects in an investigation into “hatred and discrimination” and “inciting hatred and hostility” among the public, the Anadolu news agency said.

Among the detained was actor Cem Yigit Uzumoglu, who played Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the Netflix docuseries “Rise of Empires: Ottoman,” the Actors’ Union said.

The suspects were held over social media posts calling on people to not to spend money on Wednesday and for businesses to shut their doors in solidarity during the daylong boycott, The AP news reported.

Large-scale anti-government protests began last month after the arrest of Istanbul's opposition Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated. The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.

Istanbul prosecutors on Tuesday launched a criminal investigation into earlier boycott calls by Imamoglu’s party targeting companies it alleges support the government. In particular, the opposition identified media firms that did not air images of protests in which hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to call for Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding.

The leader of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, or CHP, issued a warning after authorities blocked social media accounts supporting Wednesday's boycott.

“We know that you have closed hundreds of pages to date,” Ozgur Ozel wrote on X. “If you become a tool for anti-democratic practices today, if you implement access ban demands, think carefully about what this nation will do to you!”

While in prison, Imamoglu has been confirmed as the CHP's presidential candidate. The next election is currently scheduled for 2028 but is likely to take place earlier.

According to the independent ANKA News Agency, some 2,000 people have been detained since Imamoglu was arrested on March 19, with 316 jailed pending trial. Most face charges relating to participating in protests.

Lawyers for imprisoned protesters on Wednesday said many had suffered mistreatment. The government has not responded to the allegations but on Thursday the police issued a statement denying claims that women had been sexually assaulted in custody as “vile slanders.”