China declines meeting with US defence chief
China has declined a United States invitation for a meeting in Singapore between Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, according to the Pentagon.
'Overnight, the PRC informed the US that they have declined our early May invitation for Secretary Austin to meet with Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu in Singapore this week,' Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement on Monday.
Previous week, White House spokesperson John Kirby said there were discussions under way to initiate talks between Austin and his Chinese counterpart, who was named defence minister in March.
The prospect of a meeting between them was being closely watched given heightened tensions in the region and the increasingly prickly relationship between US and China over issues from Taiwan to trade and human rights.
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