US Defense Chief Austin to meet Chinese counterpart for 1st time
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For the first time, US Defense Chief Lloyd Austin and his counterpart will meet in Singapore for the Shangri-la Dialogue.
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US Defense Chief Austin to meet Chinese counterpart.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, at the Shangri-La Dialogue hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore on Friday, where the two leaders are expected to discuss managing competition in the US-China relationship.
The meeting will be Austin and Wei's first face-to-face meeting since they spoke over the phone on April 20, which was the first such call since the Biden administration took office.
"Yes, Secretary Austin is in Singapore for the Shangri-la Dialogue; he will deliver one of the keynote speeches. He will also meet with Chinese military leaders at their request," a Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik when asked if Austin and Wei will meet in Singapore on Friday evening.
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The spokeswoman said that Austin wants to keep lines of communication open with the Chinese military in order to avoid future miscommunications between the two countries.
The Biden administration has referred to China as the US' "pacing challenge," and has re-engaged with Indo-Pacific partners on economic and security issues as a result.
According to CNN, the two leaders are expected to discuss establishing "guard rails" between the US and China amid increased competition between the two countries.
Taiwan will be a major topic of discussion in all of Austin's meetings said the official. In reaction to a US congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan earlier this month, China dispatched 30 airplanes near the island and asked the US to refrain from backing Taiwan.
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The parties will also strive to avoid a repeat of the March 2021 meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his then-Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, after which the two sides accused each other of violating various meeting norms, according to the official.
The US hopes to set a ground rule with China for the Austin-Wei meeting that each side will only characterize their own perspectives in order to achieve a professional and serious meeting, the official said.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual gathering that brings together heads of state and top defense officials to address security issues in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021.
