U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (center) exits a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue Summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday.
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SINGAPORE – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun met for the first time in Singapore on Friday, as Washington and Beijing seek to head off potential conflict in the region.
Chinese military spokesman Colonel Wu Qian said the meeting, which took place during the annual Shangri-La Defense Dialogue and lasted about 75 minutes, called the official contact “positive, pragmatic and constructive.”
Wu Bangguo told reporters shortly after the meeting: “Both sides agreed that stable military relations between the United States and China are important.” He added that the two sides agreed to have more communication and exchanges in the future.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Austin and Dong. Dong was appointed to the position in December, four months after the sudden dismissal of his predecessor Li Shangfu. It was also the first official meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries since 2022, when China cut off key military communication lines with the United States after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
While both sides viewed the high-level contact as a positive step, they also clashed during the meeting over issues ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea, according to officials on both sides.
“The Secretary expressed concern about the People’s Liberation Army’s recent provocative activities around the Taiwan Strait and reiterated that the People’s Republic of China should not use Taiwan’s political transition – part of a normal, routine democratic process – as an excuse to take coercive measures,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. .
In response, Dong reiterated Beijing’s stance on Taiwan – the island of 23 million people belongs to China – and after the U.S. State Department congratulated Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, he accused Washington of “sending serious and serious threats to separatist forces in Taiwan.” Wrong signal”. He took office in May.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (centre) exits after a bilateral meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue Summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday.
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NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images
On the South China Sea, where China has overlapping territorial claims with several Southeast Asian countries, Austin reiterated U.S. demands for freedom of navigation under international law. But China pushed back, with Wu saying: “No country can pursue security at the expense of the security of other countries.”
Analysts say Beijing is likely to repeatedly confront the South China Sea issue at this weekend’s meeting in Singapore. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is listed as Friday’s keynote speaker and is expected to focus on China’s actions in the South China Sea.
The two senior officials also discussed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States accuses China of supporting Russia’s defense industrial base. Beijing says it remains committed not to provide weapons to either side of the war.
