China, US defence chiefs meet in Singapore
The Chinese and American defence chiefs held talks in Singapore on Friday, offering hopes for more military dialogue that could help prevent disputes. Defence Minister Dong Jun met with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore. It was the first meeting between the defence chiefs of the two countries since 2022. Dong and Austin began the talks at the luxury hotel hosting the security forum, a member of the US delegation told reporters. Defence chiefs and officials from around the world are attending the annual forum that has in recent years become a barometer of China-US relations. The two sides agreed after a summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in November last year to restart high-level military talks. That includes a communications channel between the US Indo-Pacific Command chief and Chinese commanders responsible for military operations near Taiwan, Japan and in the South China Sea. (Agencies)