Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

China yet to answer US request for meeting with defense secretary

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 26 May 2023 15:36
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The United States says China is yet to respond to Washington's request for a meeting between the two, despite Beijing stressing its own conditions for the talks.

  • x
  • Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a press briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley at the Pentagon, May 25, 2023, in Washington (AP)f
    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a press briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley at the Pentagon, May 25, 2023, in Washington. (AP)

China is yet to give a formal response to the US request for a meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at an upcoming international forum in Singapore, a senior US defense official said Thursday.

"Secretary Austin and the Department of Defense initiated a request to meet with General Li, and that request has not been answered one way or another," Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner told an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The official underlined that "the ball is in their court at this point."

This comes after the United States proposed a meeting at the level of defense ministers with China at the Shangri-La Dialogue set to take place in Singapore next week.

The US recently sought to restore talks with top officials in China after relations soured in recent months, especially in light of the Chinese alleged spy balloon incident and Washington's increased militarization of countries surrounding China.

Ratner: 'Do we need to have a major crisis?'

There have been plans for a meeting this week between commerce and trade officials in the wake of discussions that took place earlier in the month between the US National Security Advisor and China's top diplomat.

Related News

US travel industry loses $1B amid prolonged government shutdown

Trump open to attending Gaza ceasefire deal ceremony in ME: Rubio

Without directly responding to the US request, China said it was concerned about US sanctions that the country had imposed on Li years ago over his alleged role in a Chinese arms purchase from Russia.

Ratner, meanwhile, reaffirmed the Pentagon's stance that the sanctions imposed on Li don't pose a legal obstacle to a meeting between the two defense ministers, stressing that military-to-military tiers are crucial to managing future crises that could lead to an escalation.

"The question again, for the PRC, is 'do we need to have a major crisis before we take things seriously?'" Ratner said. "Our argument is: let's do it now."

A veteran Chinese diplomat said in April that unless the United States fundamentally changes its attitude toward China, there's no point in talks on ways to safeguard the relationship, Bloomberg reported.

"China-US relations are very much strained," indicated Xu Bu, head of the China Institute of International Studies, a think tank affiliated with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"One of the most important causes is that the United States is worried that China may surpass it," Xu said.

The former Chinese envoy to Chile and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pointed out that the US failure to understand China’s rise was the main obstacle to improving bilateral ties between the two sides.

Tensions mounted again last month between the two countries after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met made a provocative visit to the US and met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, prompting China to condemn the talks and stage three days of military drills around Taiwan.

Read more: Tsai-McCarthy meeting places in US sanctioned by China

  • United States
  • Taiwan
  • Lloyd Austin
  • US Defense Secretary
  • China
  • Li Shangfu
  • Chinese Defense Minister

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS