A major regional security forum is underway in Singapore amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and East Asia, with in-person communication between defense chiefs from China and the United States remaining shuttered. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had invited his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore but the Chinese minister declined. China’s decision is “unfortunate,” Austin said before arriving in the city state which has been hosting the annual event since 2002. “You’ve heard me talk a number of times about the importance of countries with…
Source link : No dialogue between US, China defense chiefs in Singapore by Radio Free Asia
