TOKYO: Defense Secretary United States (US) Lloyd Austin said Thursday it was “unfortunate” that China turned down a request for Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu to meet as both attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Austin, while speaking alongside Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada during a visit to Tokyo, said he would welcome “any opportunity to engage with leadership” and that he believes defence departments should have open channels of communication.
He told media that countries with “significant capabilities” should talk to each other in order to manage crises and prevent situations from spiraling out of control.
The lack of a meeting between the United States and Chinese defence officials comes at a time of cool ties that have included the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States, tensions about United States support for Taiwan, and what the United States called a Chinese fighter jet’s “unnecessarily aggressive” interception of a United States Air Force aircraft over the South China Sea this week.
Hamada said that he and Austin agreed to cooperate closely on challenges posed by China and said it is significant to keep a frank dialogue with the Chinese.
Hamada said the United States and Japan would work closely with South Korea in a concerted effort against what he called North Korea’s provocative actions.
His comments came a day after the failure of a North Korean launch of a spy satellite. United Nations Security Council resolutions bar North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.
Austin called North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes “dangerous and destabilizing.” He said the United States would take all necessary measures to secure its homeland and defend its partners.
