U.S. Defense Secretary Regrets Chinese Counterpart's Decision Not to Meet

The U.S. Defense Secretary, in a press conference in Tokyo, expressed regret over Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu's decision not to meet with him at a conference both will attend in Singapore over the weekend, stating, "I think this decision is regrettable." Austin added, "I welcome any opportunity to engage with Li. I believe defense ministries should regularly communicate with each other or have open channels for communication." Austin stopped in Tokyo on his way to the annual Asian security meeting, the Shangri-La Dialogue, which begins Friday in Singapore. On Tuesday, the United States announced that a Chinese fighter jet conducted an "unnecessary aggressive maneuver" near a U.S. aircraft over the South China Sea. Austin, after meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, expressed concern that an incident like Tuesday's between a U.S. and Chinese aircraft could "quickly spiral out of control." He stated that the provocative interception of our and our allies' aircraft is very concerning, and we hope they change their behavior. Japan and China established a "special hotline" in March to improve communications and mitigate military friction. Li has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 for purchasing aircraft and military equipment from Russia, the main arms exporter. Austin and Hamada discussed North Korea's missile launch on Wednesday, tensions with China, and Russia's attack on Ukraine during their meeting in Tokyo. The trial of three individuals in New York for allegedly "intimidating" Chinese asylum seekers in the U.S. has begun. The U.S. sanctioned 17 individuals and entities in China and Mexico for drug production and trafficking. Three Chinese warships passed through the Taiwan Strait, prompting Taiwan's armed forces to be on alert. The Chinese government deleted 1.4 million social media user posts.