During a meeting of defense leaders in Laos, China’s defense minister declined a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a move that Austin described as unfortunate. Multilateral gatherings in Asia have previously been used for meetings between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders, but China chose not to meet with Austin during this week’s Southeast Asian Nations-Plus defense ministers meeting. Austin expressed disappointment at the missed opportunity for two significant powers in the region to communicate. Despite this, Austin does not believe the lack of a meeting has implications for the future and stated that only China can explain their decision. Austin previously met with China’s defense minister at a conference in Singapore earlier this year, where they discussed their differences on issues such as Taiwan but emphasized the importance of maintaining open military-to-military communication. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently pledged to work with the incoming U.S. administration of Joe Biden on various issues, including cybercrime, trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia.
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Austin Laments Chinese Defense Chief’s Declined Meeting
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