Austin expresses disappointment over Chinese defense chief’s decision to decline meeting

The Chinese defense minister declined a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a defense leaders meeting in Laos. Austin expressed disappointment over the missed opportunity for dialogue between significant players in the region. Multilateral gatherings in Asia have historically facilitated meetings between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders, but China chose not to engage in discussions. However, Austin remains hopeful for future communication and engagement with China, emphasizing the importance of military-to-military communications. This decision by China does not necessarily have implications for future relations, and only they can explain their reasoning for declining the meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed willingness to work with the incoming U.S. administration and discussed various conflicts with the outgoing President Joe Biden, including cybercrime, trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia. The lack of meeting between the defense leaders at the recent gathering highlights the strained relations between the U.S. and China, but both parties remain open to future discussions and collaboration.

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