United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin addressed top security officials on Saturday, stating that war with China is neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. He emphasized the importance of renewed dialogue with his Chinese counterpart to prevent “miscalculations and misunderstandings.”
Austin’s remarks at the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore followed a significant meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun. This marked the first in-person discussion between the top defense officials since 2022, when military contacts were severed after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which angered Beijing.
During the meeting, both sides maintained their longstanding positions on Taiwan — which China claims as its own and has not ruled out using force to take — and on China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea, a point of contention with other regional nations, particularly the Philippines.
While Austin did not disclose specifics of their conversation, he stressed that the key takeaway was the resumption of dialogue between the two defense leaders.
