SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AP) 鈥� The defense chiefs of the United States and China held talks Tuesday on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Cambodia to discuss strained bilateral relations and regional and global security issues, U.S. and Chinese officials said.
It was the second face-to-face meeting in six months between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin II and Gen. Wei Fenghe, China鈥檚 minister of national defense. It came just over a week after a meeting in Indonesia between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping which was widely seen as an effort to ease tensions between the two superpowers over trade and China鈥檚 claim to Taiwan.
Austin and Wei are in Siem Reap, Cambodia, attending a meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asia Nations and other major countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Already-tense relations between Washington and Beijing soured even more in August when U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, which is independently governed but claimed by China. The United States, Taiwan鈥檚 most important ally, mantains a longstanding 鈥渙ne China鈥� policy, which recognizes the government in Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei, and 鈥渟trategic ambiguity鈥� over whether the U.S. would respond militarily if the island were attacked.
Biden said after meeting Xi that when it comes to China, the U.S. will 鈥渃ompete vigorously, but I鈥檓 not looking for conflict.鈥�
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Austin assured Wei of Biden鈥檚 commitment to the 鈥渙ne China" policy.
Austin 鈥渦nderscored his opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo" and called on China to refrain from destabilizing actions toward Taiwan, Ryder said in a statement.
He also urged continuing talks on 鈥渞educing strategic risk, improving crisis communications, and enhancing operational safety," noting concerns over 鈥渄angerous behavior鈥� by Chinese military aircraft 鈥渢hat increases the risk of an accident."
In a news conference, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Col. Tan Kefei described Tuesday鈥檚 talks 鈥渁s a concrete measure to implement the important consensus reached between Xi and Biden."
He said the meeting was 鈥渙f great significance鈥� for bringing China-U.S. relations 鈥渂ack to the track of healthy and stable development.鈥�
But an official statement issued by China's Defense Ministry quoted Wei as saying, 鈥淭he responsibility for the current situation facing China-U.S. relations is on the U.S. side, not on the Chinese side."
Wei said the issue of Taiwan was a 鈥渞ed line鈥� over which China would brook no foreign interference. China鈥檚 military 鈥渉as the backbone, the determination, the confidence and the ability to resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland,鈥� Wei said.
The Defense Ministry statement said the two sides also exchanged views over the South China Sea, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, without giving details. The U.S. statement said Austin discussed Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine and noted that both Washington and Beijing 鈥渙ppose the use of nuclear weapons or threats to use them."
Heng Sinith, The Associated Press
