While China has carried out large-scale military maneuvers around Taiwan, the Pentagon announced on Friday that American Defense Minister Lloyd Austin would meet his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun next week. According to the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin will meet with Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of their participation from May 31 to June 2 at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, an annual summit bringing together defense officials around the world.
Since the start of the military operation initiated by China, Washington has called on Beijing for “restraint”, affirming that “China must not use the political transition in Taiwan as a pretext or excuse for provocative and coercive measures” .
A highly anticipated meeting
The meeting between Lloyd Austin and Dong Jun has been highly anticipated since the two spoke on the phone in April. It was the first exchange between the defense ministers of the United States and China in nearly 18 months. Since then, the two countries have increased communication in an effort to ease tensions. The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken made an official visit to Beijing and Shanghai last month.
Lloyd Austin will also travel to Cambodia next week for discussions with defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), before finishing his trip in France, where he will join Joe Biden for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Landings.