China’s defense minister declined a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a meeting of defense leaders in Laos, which Austin described as unfortunate. The refusal occurred during this week’s Southeast Asian Nations-Plus defense ministers meeting, where multilateral gatherings have historically been used for US-China defense discussions. Despite this, Austin believes it does not have long-term implications for US-China relations and that China alone can explain their decision not to meet at this time. Austin had previously met with China’s defense minister earlier this year, where they discussed their differences on Taiwan and other issues but emphasized the importance of maintaining military-to-military communication. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his final talks with departing US President Joe Biden, vowed to work with the incoming administration of Donald Trump on various global issues, including cybercrime, trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia.
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Austin expresses disappointment over Chinese defense chief’s decision to decline meeting
