China’s defense minister declined a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a recent gathering of defense leaders in Laos, which the Pentagon chief described as unfortunate. Multilateral meetings in Asia have historically been used for U.S. and Chinese defense leaders to meet, but China refused Austin’s meeting request during the Southeast Asian Nations-Plus defense ministers meeting. Austin expressed disappointment, noting the importance of communication between major regional powers. Despite this, Austin does not believe this incident will have long-term implications and remains open to future discussions. He had previously met with China’s defense minister at a conference in Singapore, emphasizing the importance of maintaining military communication channels. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently expressed a willingness to work with the incoming U.S. administration and discussed various issues with outgoing President Joe Biden, 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
