First In-Person Meeting Of US, Chinese Top Defense Officials May Be Held In June - Reports

The United States and China are working on the first in-person meeting of defense chiefs on the sidelines of a summit in Singapore in June, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2022) The United States and China are working on the first in-person meeting of defense chiefs on the sidelines of a summit in Singapore in June, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is intending to visit the Shangri-La Dialogue to be held on June 10-12. The visit of Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has not yet been announced, but the minister intends to attend, the report said, citing sources familiar with the situation. The newspaper noted that this meeting is not yet final, and plans may change.

In early May, Austin said that he looks forward to working with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, in the near future, adding that he will see him at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

In April, Austin spoke with National Defense Minister Wei over phone as a follow-up to a call between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, who discussed the US-China relationship and Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, convened by the Institute for Strategic Studies, is an annual event designed to allow heads of state and top defense officials to meet in person to discuss security challenges. The event did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.