China-US relations: defence ministers Dong and Austin hold ‘positive, practical and constructive’ meeting, says Beijing
- US defence department statement says Lloyd Austin emphasised the ‘importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication’
- Singapore meeting had a ‘positive effect’ on promoting understanding, says Chinese defence ministry spokesman
He said that during the meeting, the two exchanged views, including on relations between the two militaries, Taiwan, the South China Sea and “the Ukraine crisis”.
The meeting had a “positive effect” on promoting understanding and avoiding miscalculation, Wu said in a press conference after the meeting, which he said lasted 75 minutes – longer than expected.
It included discussions about creating a crisis communications working group that Wu said was part of the “policy communication arrangements” agreed by the two sides to be carried out in the future.
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Defence ministers from China and US meet on sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
Dong also urged the United States to stop sending the “wrong signals” to Taiwanese independence forces and to “correct its mistakes”, according to Wu.
