China rejected the request for a meeting from the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

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Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun rejected a meeting request from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the defense ministers' meeting held in Laos.

CHINESE MINISTER REJECTED MEETING REQUEST

Defense ministers from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with representatives from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Australia, and China, gathered in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, for the ASEAN Plus Defense Ministers Meeting. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun rejected the meeting request from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the meeting.

"AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION AFFECTING THE REGION"

Austin stated regarding the issue, "This is an unfortunate situation and it affects the region. As you know, the region really wants to see the two major powers, two important actors, engaging with each other." Austin added, "I don't think this will have any implications for the future. I believe this is just something they prefer to do at the moment, and I think only they can explain why they chose not to take advantage of such a good opportunity."

THE TWO MINISTERS LAST MET IN MAY

Austin met with his Chinese counterpart Dong last May on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue international defense forum. The two ministers reiterated that the U.S. and China have disagreements regarding Taiwan, but emphasized the importance of keeping military communication channels open.

China, which does not recognize Taiwan's independence and considers it a part of its territory, harshly criticized the U.S. for approving a $2 billion arms sale to Taiwan three weeks ago, stating that it would take "resolute countermeasures to defend its sovereignty."