During a meeting of defense leaders in Laos, China’s defense minister declined a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which Austin described as unfortunate. This move by China affected the region, as multilateral gatherings have been used in the past for meetings between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders. Austin stated that the region wanted to see dialogue between the two significant powers.
Austin met with China’s defense minister earlier in the year at a Singapore conference, where they discussed their differences on various issues but emphasized the importance of maintaining military-to-military communications. Despite this recent refusal for a meeting, Austin believes it does not have long-term implications and is a decision made by China that only they can explain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently vowed to work with the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump while holding final talks with departing President Joe Biden. They discussed conflicts ranging from cybercrime to trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia. The refusal for a meeting between Austin and China’s defense minister comes in the midst of these negotiations, leaving the future of U.S.-China relations uncertain.
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