U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) leaves a meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on May 31, 2024, as part of his participation in the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit. The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs will hold rare direct talks in Singapore on May 31, raising hopes of increased military dialogue that could help prevent disputes over Taiwan and other hot-button issues from spiraling out of control.
Nhac Nguyen | Afp | Getty Images
SINGAPORE — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday expressed concerns about Chinese naval activity in the Taiwan Strait to his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, reiterating his position that China “should not using Taiwan’s political transition…as a pretext for coercive measures.”
The meeting between the two men on the sidelines of the Shangri-La summit in Singapore was the first in-person meeting between the Chinese and US defense chiefs since November 2022.
CNBC saw the two delegations leaving the meeting venue, but neither Dong nor Austin responded to reporters’ questions.
According to a Pentagon statement, Austin said the United States remains committed to its “one China” policy. He also told Dong that the United States will continue to “fly, sail and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law permits.”
Austin also reaffirmed the November announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two sides would resume telephone conversations between theater commanders in the coming months, and welcomed the plan to convene a group of work on crisis communications by the end of the year. year.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian told reporters at a news conference that the meeting allowed both sides to better understand the Taiwan issue, adding that there were “effects positive”.
Wu also stressed that “a single meeting cannot resolve all the problems in military-to-military relations, but having a meeting is better than no meeting at all.” He also added that increased communication is necessary and will help stabilize military relations.
He added that the two defense chiefs also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. The Pentagon statement said Austin and Dong discussed North Korea’s provocations, such as its contribution to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Friday’s meeting follows a video conference between Austin and Dong in April. The Pentagon said U.S. Department of Defense officials “will continue active discussions with their PRC counterparts on future engagements between defense officials and the military at multiple levels.”
— CNBC’s Lin Lin contributed to this report.
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