US, China defence chiefs praise talks despite continuing tensions

By Alfred Cang, Peter Martin and Josh Xiao

(Bloomberg) — US and Chinese defence ministers discussed hot-button issues ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, with officials from Beijing praising the talks and saying they will help both sides avoid miscalculations.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his new counterpart, Dong Jun, met for 75 minutes Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, an annual conference of military leaders that frequently draws leaders from beyond Asia.

The talks were “positive, practical and constructive,” Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters after the discussion wrapped up. Wu said the discussions went on longer than expected and that the two sides agreed to maintain exchanges and communications.

A US official described Austin as candid, firm and professional in the talks, but suggested that one meeting wouldn’t be enough to bridge the gulf between Washington and Beijing. A Pentagon statement said the two sides agreed to have theatre-level military commanders resume calls in the coming months and to convene a crisis-communications working group by year-end.

The US statement also signalled continuing differences, saying Austin expressed concerns about heightened Chinese military activity around Taiwan and China’s “role in supporting Russia’s defence industrial base.” Wu denied that Beijing supplies weapons to Russia and Ukraine and said that the US decision to congratulate Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on his election sent the wrong signal.

The meeting is the clearest sign of how ties between the world’s two biggest economies have somewhat stabilised since Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in California last November. Discussions between the two sides had largely broken down after a Chinese surveillance balloon floated over the American mainland before being shot down in early 2023.

With that event looming over the conference in Singapore last year, Austin and China’s previous defence minister shook hands, but never held direct talks, a point Austin criticised in his speech at the time.

This year’s Singapore meeting marks one of his first times Dong has been seen outside China, nearly a year after his predecessor was ousted amid corruption probes by Xi’s government into the People’s Liberation Army.

With the US-China meeting over, the geopolitical focus shifts towards other flash points in the region.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will give the keynote address to the conference on Friday evening. He said he will “highlight the Philippines’ commitment to a rules-based international order and constructive multilateralism.”

That’s a coded criticism of Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, where Philippine and Chinese ships have collided near disputed islands and reefs on multiple occasions over the last year. Those tensions have raised questions as to what it would take for Manila to invoke its mutual defence treaty with the US.

There’s also Taiwan, where China flexed its military muscle last week by sending over 100 aircraft and dozens of naval vessels to surround the self-ruled island following Lai’s inauguration. China views Taiwan as its territory and has harshly criticised Lai for “seeking independence” from the mainland

The US has vowed to defend Taiwan if it comes under attack, and has bolstered alliances around Asia and the Indo-Pacific to prepare for any potential conflict. That includes a bloc known as the “Squad,” with Australia, Japan and the Philippines, formed after a meeting last year on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. This year the four conducted joint maritime patrols within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Austin will also deliver remarks to the conference on Saturday and hold a meeting with counterparts from Japan and South Korea before heading to Cambodia to meet with other regional defence officials.

Chinese officials have said less about Dong’s itinerary in Singapore, but he is expected to present China’s views on global security issues during a speech on Sunday and meet with the Singaporean leadership.

Other issues likely to be discussed at the weekend forum include the widening conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third year.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue by video, a few months after Russia’s invasion. Zelensky is now urging US and China leaders to attend a summit to discuss Ukraine’s peace blueprint.

For Southeast Asian nations straddling the US-China divide, the Austin-Dong meeting will be one highlight of the weekend’s gathering. Dong said during a video call with Austin last month that the two nations’ militaries should cooperate and avoid confrontation, echoing comments Austin made at the conference in 2023.

That kind of message has been welcomed in the region, where countries are wary over the prospect of an accident sparking an outright conflict.

But there’s also a realisation that the tensions plaguing the region aren’t likely to go away, a sentiment echoed by Singapore’s new Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, during his swearing-in ceremony earlier this month.

“For thirty years since the Cold War ended, we enjoyed unprecedented peace and stability in the Asia Pacific,” he said. “Unfortunately, that era is over. It will not return.”

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.