US defense secretary Lloyd Austin, Wei Fenghe will meet in Singapore

Web Desk

10th Jun, 2022. 02:58 pm
Share

China and US defence ministers to meet in Singapore for Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting.
First meeting between Wei Fenghe and Lloyd Austin since new US defence chief took office.

The United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese defence ministers will meet in Singapore on Friday as the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting gets underway, as per Chinese state media

According to Chinese state media, the meeting between Wei Fenghe and Lloyd Austin will be “the first meeting between Chinese and US defence ministers since Austin took office.”

Between June 10 and 12, the Shangri-La Dialogue, a gathering for the world’s top military officials, diplomats, and arms companies, will be held in the southeast Asian city-state.

The event will be held for the first time since 2019 after being postponed twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent years, China and the United States have clashed over Beijing’s claims to practically the entire South China Sea, as well as its threats against Taiwan.

The ruling Communist Party claims democratic, self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory and has promised to seize it one day, if necessary, by force.

More recently, the two countries have clashed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Washington accusing Beijing of aiding Moscow with covert backing.

China has urged peace negotiations to end the battle, but has refrained from denouncing Russia’s actions and has regularly criticised US weaponry sales to Ukraine.