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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China has canceled a security meeting with US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis scheduled for October, a senior US official said Sunday in the United States, a few days after a high Chinese official said that there was no reason to panic countries.
The American flag floats near China's emblem outside the Bayi building before the welcome ceremony of US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis in Beijing on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 Mark Schiefelbein / Pool via Reuters
The official, involved in Chinese politics and expressing himself under the guise of anonymity, said it was not clear whether or when the meeting would be reprogrammed.
The cancellation was reported for the first time by The New York Times.
The official said that it was not clear whether the cancellation was due to the wide range of conflicts between Beijing and Washington over issues such as the sale of arms and weapons. military activity in the South China Sea and in the waters surrounding China.
China and the United States are also plunged into a burgeoning trade war that has cost them more and more of their imports.
"The tension is rising and it could prove dangerous for both sides," said the official.
The US State Department declined to comment. White House and Department of Defense officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Chinese ministries of foreign affairs and defense also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sources in Beijing said last week that the security meeting may not be held because of tensions in relations between the two countries.
Chinese government top diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday that there was "no reason to panic" about the friction between Beijing and Washington, but warned that China would not be subjected to blackmail or pressure. on trade.
At a meeting of the US Security Council on Wednesday, President Donald Trump accused Beijing of interfering with US congressional elections on November 6 to prevent him and his Republican party from behaving well because of its trade policy with China.
Trump has not provided any evidence of his allegation. At the same meeting, Wang rejected the accusation.
Reportage by John Walcott; Additional report by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; ; Edited by Peter Cooney
