Beijing: (Web Desk) China said it is open to a meeting with the US defence secretary on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Cambodia this week, in a sign of thawing relations after the country’s top leaders met earlier this month.
China Defence Minister Wei Fenghe and US Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd previously confirmed separately that they would attend the forum with Southeast Asian countries, the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus.
Furthermore on Sunday, China’s defence ministry issued a statement featuring a question about whether the two would meet, with spokesman Tan Kefei quoted as saying, “China holds a proactive and open attitude for exchange with the United States.” He also said both sides are coordinating regarding an “exchange” at the forum, set to take place on Wednesday.
As per details, a meeting would represent the first high-level military exchange between the countries since China halted regular dialogue between military commanders in August in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi s visit to Taiwan. China regards democratically ruled Taiwan as a renegade province.
Meanwhile in Indonesia last week, on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summits, China President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held their first face-to-face meeting since the latter took office in early 2021.
According to the sources, ties between the world’s two largest economies have deteriorated in recent years amid issues such as trade, human rights and Taiwan.
