AFP reported that the Defense Ministers of the US and China are expected to meet in Singapore at the weekend, bringing hope that dialogue will help prevent tensions from spiraling out of control.
The expected meeting between Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Dong Quan counterpart at the Shangri-La Dialogue will be the first direct dialogue between the heads of the two countries’ defense agencies in 18 months.
This year, the Shangri-La Dialogue opened on May 31, a week after China held military exercises around Taiwan. The self-governing island is among the issues causing tension in US-China relations. In addition, Beijing is also angry because Washington has increased military cooperation with many Asia-Pacific countries, especially the Philippines.
At the end of 2022, China suspended defense dialogue activities in response to former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. By November last year, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed to restore dialogue after meeting.
Ministers Lloyd Austin and Dong Quan had a phone call in April, but direct dialogue has not yet been restored. According to international relations analyst Mustafa Izzuddin (Solaris Strategies Singapore consulting firm): “Hopefully the upcoming meeting will be the beginning of efforts to cautiously resume military communication lines.”
At the summit last November, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed to establish a communication channel between the general head of the Indo-Pacific Command (US) and Chinese commanders. responsible for operations near Taiwan, Japan and in the South China Sea. Analyst Izzuddin commented that such a communication channel is essential in the context of the tense regional situation.