U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs hold first face-to-face talks since 2022

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) arrives with his delegation for a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday. | AFP-JIJI

by JESSE JOHNSON
May 31, 2024

The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs on Friday held their first face-to-face talks since 2022, meeting on the sidelines of a major Asian security conference in Singapore, as the two sides seek to manage their rival nations’ increasingly tense relationship.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun met ahead of the formal kickoff of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue summit, Chinese state-run media reported.

The two sides were expected to discuss maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication amid fears that the increasingly tense relationship could spiral into conflict.