Beijing Moans After Top American Commander Describes Key US Allies With Two Words

The Communist Chinese government rebuked a U.S. Army general for using the words “dagger” and “shield” to respectively describe regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Four-star Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and United Nations Command, made the analogy during a May 22 podcast interview conducted by the United States Army War College, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) first reported. Nearly a week later, the Chinese embassy in South Korea responded by issuing what it called a “solemn warn” to the general, claiming his use of figurative language to characterize the U.S.’s East Asian allies amounted to hostility against the communist power.

“Are your hostile and aggressive remarks about China authorised by Washington, or are you trying to challenge the consensus reached at the Beijing meeting between the Chinese and US leaders?” the embassy asked Brunson, according to the SCMP.

President Donald Trump traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-May. Several members of Trump’s administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, also went on the trip.

“You refer to the host country as an ‘aircraft carrier’ or a ‘dagger,’” the embassy’s response to the general continued, according to the SCMP. “Does this demonstrate your belligerence, or do you intend to use other countries as pawns?”

Brunson likened South Korea to a “fixed aircraft carrier” situated between Japan and China in May 2025, Korea JoongAng Daily reported