US, China Defense Ministers Hold First Face-to-Face Meetings in 18 Months

The meeting took place amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait after China staged large-scale exercises in the sea and air spaces near democratic Taiwan.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (C) walks out after a bilateral meeting with China's Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on May 31, 2024. Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, on Friday, the first in-person exchange between the two big powers’ defense ministers in 18 months.

The high-level military-to-military contact took place against a backdrop of rising tensions between the United States and communist China over a wide range of issues, from Beijing’s aid to Moscow’s war efforts to its sovereign claims of democratic Taiwan.