U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that it is "regrettable" that his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, declined to meet with him on the sidelines of an upcoming security forum. He expressed that they need to communicate to prevent dangerous confrontations between military aircraft. Austin stated during a press conference in Tokyo, "I welcome any opportunity to engage with Li. I believe our defense ministries should communicate on a routine basis or have open channels of communication."
Austin stopped in Tokyo on his way to attend an annual Asian security summit that begins in Singapore on Friday. He voiced concerns after a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, highlighting worries that an incident like the one on Tuesday involving a U.S. aircraft and a Chinese one "could escalate very quickly."
He remarked, "The provocative interception of our aircraft and those of our allies is extremely concerning, and we hope they will change their behavior." During their meeting in Tokyo, Austin and Hamada discussed North Korea's missile launch on Wednesday, tensions with China, and the Russian war in Ukraine.
Austin noted that "North Korea's dangerous and destabilizing nuclear and missile programs threaten peace and stability in the region." The recent launch, which North Korea claimed was an attempt to send a military satellite into orbit, prompted emergency warnings in parts of Japan and South Korea, urging residents to take shelter in safe areas.
On Tuesday, the United States revealed that a Chinese fighter executed a "unnecessary aggressive maneuver" near a U.S. aircraft over the South China Sea. Li is expected to meet with Hamada at the Singapore conference. In March, Japan and China established a "hotline" to improve communications and de-escalate military skirmishes. Li has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 due to China's purchase of fighter jets and equipment from Rosoboronexport, the largest Russian arms export company.
