On Friday, May 31, the 21st Shangri-La Forum opened in Singapore, which brings together numerous experts and world leaders on international security issues until Sunday. On the sidelines of this first day, a major meeting took place: direct talks between the US and Chinese defense ministers, the first since 2022.
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It was a much anticipated meeting. The US and Chinese defense chiefs held discussions ” positive, practical and constructive », the spokesman for the Chinese Defense Minister, Wu Qian, indicated after an hour of talks between Dong Jun and Lloyd Austin.
This interview took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense forum that runs until Sunday, June 2. In a report of the discussions communicated by the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin assured that UNITED STATES And China had to resume military communications by telephone” in the coming months “.
He thus confirms the president’s announcement Joe Biden and the Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2023. Beijing had actually suspended military discussions with Washington in late 2022, in response to the visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Working group
The US minister also welcomed the plan to convene a working group on crisis communication with China before the end of the year. At the end of this meeting, their first in person, the Chinese defense spokesman, for his part, assessed that the relationship between the Chinese and US armies had ” stopped their decline » and stabilized.
The Chinese side nevertheless warned that it was not possible for Beijing and Washington to resolve all bilateral issues in a single meeting. The meeting between MM. Austin and Dong therefore propose new future military negotiations to ease tensions.
The only caveat is, however The Taiwan Question : Chinese defense spokesman stressed that US actions in Taiwan seriously violate the one-China principle. The island is supported militarily by the United States, which opposes any change in its status by force, without calling for its independence.
Regarding Ukraine, Chinese Minister Dong Jun assured his American counterpart that China does not supply any weapons to the conflicting parties and maintains an impartial stance.
Intensify communication to ease friction
This meeting is part of an intensification of communication between the US government and China. Both countries are seeking to ease friction between the nuclear-armed rivals, and Dong Jun and Lloyd Austin are scheduled to hold speeches this weekend, where they are expected to address them.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, which brings together defense chiefs from around the world, including French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, has become a barometer of Sino-US relations in recent years.
This meeting will take place a week later major military maneuvers led by China, where Chinese warships and fighter jets surrounded Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty. Rivalry in the South China Sea should therefore appear in the background of this forum.
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