On Thursday, the Chinese Defense Ministry blamed the US for the lack of talks between the two countries’ defense ministers while they were both in Laos for meetings with Southeast Asian officials.
The US said it asked for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting, but China declined due to US support for Taiwan.
“The responsibility lies fully with the American side,” said Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian. “The US side cannot undermine China’s core interests on the Taiwan issue, yet at the same time try to conduct exchanges with the [mainland] Chinese military as if nothing had happened.”
Wu said the US must “immediately correct its mistake, earnestly respect China’s core interests, and strive to create favorable conditions for high-level exchanges between the two militaries.”
China suspended high-level military talks with the US in 2022, following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative trip to Taiwan, which provoked the largest-ever Chinese military drills. High-level military contacts resumed earlier this year but now appear to be suspended again as the US has continued to increase support for Taiwan, ignoring China’s repeated warnings that the issue is the “first red line” in US-China relations that must not be crossed.
The US recently approved $2 billion in major arms sales for Taiwan, drawing a rebuke from China. In September, the Biden administration approved $567 million in new military aid for Taiwan, a form of support for the island the US just started providing in 2023.
