Beijing rejected a bilateral meeting between Lloyd Austin and Li Shangfu in Singapore, proposed by Washington.
China rejected a US request for a meeting between the two countries’ defense chiefs Lloyd Austin and Li Shangfu at the annual security forum in Singapore. This was reported by Reuters on May 30.
“The PRC informed the US overnight that they declined our invitation in early May for Minister Austin to meet with Chinese National Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore,” the Pentagon said.
Some analysts believe that the possible reason for the rejection is Beijing’s irritation with Washington’s sanctions against Shanfu. As you know, it has been subject to restrictions since 2018 due to the purchase of combat aircraft and equipment from Rosoboronexport.
The Pentagon said it believes in open communication to prevent “competition from escalating into conflict.” It should be noted that the heads of defense departments will visit Singapore on June 2, where they will hold bilateral meetings with colleagues across the region.
Recall that US-China relations are at their lowest level in decades.
It was previously reported that G7 leaders called on China to influence Russia to stop military aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine. In response, Beijing warned the G7 against trying to pressure the country on Taiwan and other controversial topics.
Source: korrespondent
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