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China, US defence chiefs square off on Taiwan, Ukraine in first face-to-face talks
- Lloyd Austin urged Beijing to refrain from destabilising actions, while Wei Fenghe said the PLA would ‘fight at all costs’ to defend Chinese sovereignty
- Both sides called for more communication and – despite the tussle over Taiwan – Beijing described the meeting as ‘candid and constructive’
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The Chinese and US defence chiefs squared off over Taiwan and Ukraine during their first face-to-face meeting on Friday, but Beijing described the talks as “constructive”.
Both sides called for more communication after Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, as Beijing and Washington remain at odds over a wide range of issues.
“The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral military ties, Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Ukraine crisis and other issues, which could be seen as a candid and constructive strategic dialogue,” Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said after the talks, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
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A senior US defence official said the tussle over Taiwan took up much of the meeting. The Pentagon said in a statement afterwards that Austin told Wei the US was committed to its one-China policy, and called on Beijing to refrain from further destabilising actions towards Taiwan.
Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under mainland control.
Wei warned Washington against using the war in Ukraine to play up the Taiwan issue, the Chinese defence ministry spokesman said.
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