Chinese military officials are ignoring calls from the United States to resume defense talks that have been suspended for months, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Aquilino said Wednesday.
“We’ve invited them, but we haven’t heard back,” Aquilino said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. Attempts to contact the Chinese side, including an invitation to a meeting by defense officials to be held in Fiji next month, have all been ignored or declined.
China’s refusal to talk to U.S. military leaders poses a worrying setback to the efforts of the Biden administration to improve relations between the two largest economies.
In May, China turned down a U.S. request for a meeting in Singapore between Defense Secretary Austin and Defense Minister Lee Sang Bok. Defense Minister Li has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2018, and China’s position is that the sanctions should be lifted first.
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news-rsf-original-reference paywall">Original title:US Says Chinese Military Ignored Invitation to Defense Event(excerpt)
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2023-07-19 05:39:35
