Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) walks out after a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, 2024. Photo: VCG

 

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had their face-to-face meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, marking the first in-person talks between Chinese and US defense chiefs since November 2022 and a further step in resuming military dialogue and consultations amid recent tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.

Dong reiterated China's firm positions on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue, with experts saying that China will firmly defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests, as well as safeguard peace and stability in the region.

The meeting lasted 75 minutes, slightly longer than expected, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters at a press briefing after the meeting.

The meeting was positive, practical and constructive at the strategic level, Wu said, noting that with a meeting like this, the two sides can have a deeper understanding and a firsthand feeling of each other's positions. 

During the meeting, the two defense leaders exchanged views on the state-to-state and military-to-military relations between China and the US, as well as the Taiwan question, the South China Sea issue, the Ukraine crisis, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Wu explained.

During the meeting, Dong told Austin that the two militaries' relationship is stabilizing after a decline, which is hard-won and should be carefully cherished, according to Wu.

The purpose of military exchanges should be to enhance understanding, eliminate misunderstandings, build mutual trust, and eventually achieve stability in relations, Dong said, noting that one should not ignore facts, shift blame, or even take chances to smear and suppress the other.