US, Chinese defense chiefs hold first official meeting in SingaporeExBulletin

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, center, leaves Friday after a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. Vincent Thian/AP .

switch captionVincent Thian/AP

SINGAPORE US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Dong Jun, met for the first time in Singapore on Friday, as Washington and Beijing seek to head off potential conflict in the region.

The meeting held on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Defense Dialogue lasted about 75 minutes, according to Chinese military spokesman Col. Wu Qian, who called the official engagement “positive, pragmatic and constructive.”

“Both sides agreed that a stable military relationship between the United States and China is important,” Wu told reporters shortly after the meeting, adding that the two sides agreed to have more communications and exchanges. in the future.

This is the first face-to-face meeting between Austin and Dong. Dong was appointed to the post last December, four months after his predecessor, Li Shangfu, was abruptly dismissed. It is also the first formal meeting between the two top defense ministers since 2022, when China cut key military lines of communication with the United States following a visit by former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, in Taiwan.

Although both sides view the high-level contacts as a positive step, they also clashed over issues ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea during the meeting, according to officials from both sides.

“The Secretary expressed concern over the PLA's recent provocative activities around the Taiwan Strait, and he reiterated that the PRC should not use Taiwan's political transition, which is part of a normal and routine democratic process , as a pretext for coercive measures,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick. Ryder said in a statement after the meeting.

In response, Dong reiterated Beijing's position on Taiwan that the island of 23 million belongs to China and accused Washington of “sending serious and wrong signals to Taiwan's separatist forces” after The US State Department congratulated Taiwanese President William Lai on his inauguration. in May.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, center, leaves Friday after a bilateral meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images .

switch captionNHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images

Regarding the South China Sea, where China has overlapping territorial claims with those of several Southeast Asian countries, Austin reiterated the U.S. demand for freedom of navigation under international law. But the Chinese side responded, according to Wu: “No country can pursue security at the cost of sacrificing the security of another country.

Analysts say Beijing will likely face the South China Sea issue repeatedly throughout this weekend's conference in Singapore. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be a key speaker Friday, where he is expected to highlight China's actions in the South China Sea.

The two senior officials also discussed Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States accuses China of supporting Russia's defense industrial base. Beijing says it remains committed to not supplying weapons to any of the warring parties.

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