Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun announced that Beijing is open to military communications with the United States, following the first in-depth face-to-face talks between the defense ministers of both countries in 18 months. Dong made these statements in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a major security forum where he met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday.
Dong stated, "We have always been open to exchanges and cooperation, but this requires both sides to meet halfway. We believe we need more exchanges specifically because there are differences between our armies." He emphasized that Beijing "will work firmly and forcefully" to prevent Taiwan's independence.
He added that the People's Liberation Army has always been a strong and solid force in defending the unification of the homeland and will act resolutely and forcefully at all times to prevent Taiwan's independence and ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts, warning that Beijing's patience has "limits" regarding the South China Sea.
Dong and Austin met for more than an hour at the hotel hosting the forum, which is attended by defense officials from around the world and has become a gauge of U.S.-China relations in recent years. After the meeting, Austin stated that phone talks between American and Chinese military leaders would resume "in the coming months." He reiterated the commitment made by Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the San Francisco summit in November 2023 to resume military-level phone talks in the coming months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to speak at the forum on Sunday morning, having arrived in Singapore on Saturday, and is set to hold meetings with several officials, including the U.S. defense secretary.
