China has rejected a request by the United States for a meeting between its defense chiefs on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore next weekend, the Chinese government said on Monday. Wall Street Journal.
“Overnight, the PRC informed the United States that it declined our early May invitation for Secretary (Lloyd) Austin to meet with PRC Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore this week.” the Pentagon said in a statement to journal.
The report added that the Pentagon believes in open communication “to ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict.”
Last week, White House spokesman John Kirby said the Defense Department discussed starting a conversation between Lloyd and his Chinese counterpart.
Kirby also said there is a possibility of a meeting between US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her Chinese counterpart during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting in Detroit.
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