Austin and Chinese counterpart have brief talk at Asia security summit.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Meets Chinese Counterpart at Shangri-La Dialogue

“Secretary Austin and PRC Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu spoke briefly at tonight’s opening dinner of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. “The two leaders shook hands, but did not have a substantive exchange,” he said.

The meeting between Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was brief and nonsubstantive. This comes as the Chinese government has been ignoring outreach from United States defense officials for months now, and declined a U.S. request for Austin and Li to meet at the conference.

Despite this, the Department of Defense believes in maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication with China and will continue to seek meaningful discussions at multiple levels to responsibly manage the relationship.

Concerns Over Chinese Aggression

The Pentagon views China as its “pacing challenge” and describes the People’s Liberation Army as the only power that has the intent and capability to reshape the international order in its favor. This comes as China has modernized and expanded its military, with officials expressing a willingness to take Taiwan, the independent island it considers a part of its country, by force.

Secretary Austin has expressed concerns that the silence from the Chinese could lead to an incident spiraling out of control. Late last week, a Chinese fighter pilot flew directly in front of the nose of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 over the South China Sea, forcing the aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence, which the United States Indo-Pacific Command described as “an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver.”

Working with Like-Minded Countries

Secretary Austin has emphasized the importance of countries with significant capabilities being able to talk to each other to manage crises and prevent things from spiraling out of control unnecessarily. The United States will continue to work with like-minded countries who share common values and goals to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.

As U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan pointed out, China is on track to have as many as 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, making it one of the largest peacetime nuclear buildups in history. It is crucial for the United States to maintain open lines of communication with China to responsibly manage the relationship and prevent any unnecessary escalation.