https://sputnikglobe.com/20220531/us-china-reportedly-eyeing-face-to-face-meeting-between-top-defense-officials-amid-taiwan-row-1095886430.html
US, China Reportedly Eyeing Face-to-Face Meeting Between Top Defense Officials Amid Taiwan Row
US, China Reportedly Eyeing Face-to-Face Meeting Between Top Defense Officials Amid Taiwan Row
Sputnik International
Tensions between China and the United States have only been growing in recent months with the implementation of the Biden administration's plan to reformat... 31.05.2022, Sputnik International
2022-05-31T02:10+0000
2022-05-31T02:10+0000
2023-09-25T15:09+0000
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China and the US are attempting to arrange what would be the first face-to-face meeting between their senior defense officials on the sidelines of a conference in Singapore in June amid escalating tensions over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has already announced that he will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense conference that will take place this year from June 10 to 12, but the presence of Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has not been announced as of yet, although those familiar with the matter reportedly said the minister is expected to attend in person.The Journal notes that primarily because of growing tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers an integral part of China, a meeting between Austin and Wei would be seen as significant.However, WSJ sources reportedly warned that a meeting between Wei and Austin had not yet been agreed upon and that arrangements could change at any time. Earlier this month, Austin told the Senate Appropriations Committee that he expects to meet with Wei in Singapore and that such a meeting would "promote security and stability in the region."In late April, Austin and Wei spoke on the phone for the first time. According to the Pentagon's account of the call, the two discussed defense relations, regional security issues, and Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. Wei had warned that if the Taiwan issue is not handled efficiently, it will have a "disruptive impact" on US-China relations, adding that Beijing's military will safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, according to the China Defense Ministry's summary of the conversation.There are no indications that China intends to take Taiwan under its authority by force, but Beijing has not ruled out the possibility of using its military to take over the island. Meanwhile, administrations in Washington, DC, have long refused to say whether the US military would intervene if China attacked Taiwan, ostensibly to avoid a conflict. Following his remarks in Tokyo, US President Joe Biden stated that Washington's position toward Taiwan has not changed, although he claimed the US was ready to intervene "militarily" if a crisis broke out around the island.During the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2019, Wei, who was the commander of China's strategic missile force before being appointed defense minister in 2018, spoke with then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Because of COVID-19, the event, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, was canceled in 2020 and 2021.
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US, China Reportedly Eyeing Face-to-Face Meeting Between Top Defense Officials Amid Taiwan Row
02:10 GMT 31.05.2022 (Updated: 15:09 GMT 25.09.2023) Kirill Kurevlev
Managing Editor
Tensions between China and the United States have only been growing in recent months with the implementation of the Biden administration's plan to reformat foreign policy to curb the growth of China's influence in its native region. Recently, Beijing reacted angrily after Biden suggested the US would intervene militarily if China invaded Taiwan.
China and the US are attempting to arrange what would be the first face-to-face meeting between their senior defense officials on the sidelines of a conference in Singapore in June amid escalating tensions over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal
reported on Monday.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has already announced that he will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense conference that will take place this year from June 10 to 12, but the presence of Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has not been announced as of yet, although those familiar with the matter reportedly said the minister is expected to attend in person.
The Journal notes that primarily because of growing tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers an integral part of China, a meeting between Austin and Wei would be seen as significant.
However, WSJ sources reportedly warned that a meeting between Wei and Austin had not yet been agreed upon and that arrangements could change at any time.
Earlier this month, Austin
told the Senate Appropriations Committee that he expects to meet with Wei in Singapore and that such a meeting would "promote security and stability in the region."
"We both recognize the importance of a dialogue and maintaining open channels," Austin said. "I look forward to again engaging him in the future—in the not-too-distant future."
In late April, Austin and Wei spoke on the phone for the first time. According to the Pentagon's
account of the call, the two discussed defense relations, regional security issues, and Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
Wei had warned that if the Taiwan issue is not handled efficiently, it will have a "disruptive impact" on US-China relations, adding that Beijing's military will safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, according to the China Defense Ministry's summary of the conversation. There are no indications that China intends to take Taiwan under its authority by force, but Beijing has not ruled out the possibility of using its military to take over the island. Meanwhile, administrations in Washington, DC, have long refused to say whether the US military would intervene if China attacked Taiwan, ostensibly to avoid a conflict.
Following his remarks in Tokyo, US President Joe Biden stated that Washington's position toward Taiwan has not changed, although he claimed the US was ready to intervene "militarily" if a crisis broke out around the island.
During the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2019, Wei, who was the commander of China's strategic missile force before being appointed defense minister in 2018, spoke with then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Because of COVID-19, the event, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, was canceled in 2020 and 2021.
