US Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin (L) leaves a conference at the Shangri-La Resort in Singapore on May perhaps 31, 2024, as component of his attendance at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit. The US and Chinese defence chiefs will keep rare immediate talks in Singapore on May perhaps 31, offering hopes for much more army dialogue that could help prevent disputes more than Taiwan and other flashpoint problems from spinning out of management.
Nhac Nguyen | Afp | Getty Images
SINGAPORE — U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern above China’s naval exercise in the Taiwan Strait to his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on Friday, reiterating the stance that China “should really not use Taiwan’s political changeover … as a pretext for coercive measures.”
The conference involving the two on the sidelines of the Shangri-La summit in Singapore was the to start with in individual communicate amongst Chinese and U.S. protection chiefs given that November 2022.
CNBC witnessed the two delegations walking out of the conference venue, but neither Dong nor Austin responded to reporters’ queries.
According to a readout from the Pentagon, Austin explained that the U.S. stays committed to its “a single China” policy. He also informed Dong that the U.S. will continue to “fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — anywhere intercontinental law permits.”
Austin also reaffirmed the announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November that both of those sides will resume telephone conversations involving theater commanders in the coming months, as perfectly as welcoming ideas to convene a crisis-communications performing team by the conclude of the yr.
Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian instructed reporters all through a news meeting that the meeting authorized the two sides to acquire a far better understanding on Taiwan, adding there have been “beneficial consequences.”
Wu also highlighted “just one conference simply cannot deal with all the difficulties in a military services to armed service connection, but obtaining a assembly is superior than no conference at all.” He also additional that additional conversation is essential and will assistance to stabilize the navy to navy relations.
He said the two protection chiefs also reviewed Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Gaza conflict. The Pentagon readout talked about Austin and Dong talked about North Korea’s provocations, this kind of as its contributions to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Friday’s conference follows a online video teleconference get in touch with amongst Austin and Dong in April. The Pentagon stated U.S. Section of Protection officers “will go on lively conversations with their PRC counterparts about foreseeable future engagements involving defense and military services officials at multiple levels.”
— CNBC’s Lin Lin contributed to this report.
