The two countries are trying to establish communication, despite tensions in relations.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to hold talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun next week in Singapore on the sidelines of a security conference. This is reported by Kyodo.
Austin will meet in person with his Chinese counterpart for the first time since November 2022, as the two countries seek to facilitate communication and prevent geopolitical rivalry from escalating into conflict.
The meeting is expected to will take place during this year's Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, which begins on May 31.
At a meeting in Singapore, the heads of the defense ministries of the two countries will almost certainly discuss the hot issue of Taiwan, since earlier this week the Chinese military conducted two days of large-scale exercises around the island.
Maneuvers involving the Chinese army, navy, air force and missile forces came after the inauguration on Monday, May 20, of Taiwan's new president, William Lai, whom Beijing considers a “separatist”.
China called the drills a “severe punishment” for those seeking Taiwan's independence, as well as a warning against interference. external forces.
Austin will also hold a trilateral meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the sidelines of the security conference. After the conference, he will visit Cambodia, where he will meet with high-ranking officials, as well as France.
In April, Austin and Dun held a virtual meeting, discussed the situation in the South China Sea and around the Taiwan Strait, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's weapons development program.
During a video conference, the ministers confirmed the agreement between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, reached at a summit in November last year, to restore communications between the military.
High-level military channels of communication between the US and China have been closed after Beijing protested a visit to Taiwan in 2022 by former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and often resorts to a show of force by sending warships and fighter jets to the island.