Siem Reap: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Cambodia on Tuesday. The meeting took place in a situation where both sides are making moves to control the conflict.
This is the first meeting between Austin and Wei since last June. The two met on the sidelines of a defense ministers’ conference ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, angering Beijing.
China and the United States are currently making moves to de-escalate tensions through meetings between top officials. On November 14, Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping had a three-hour meeting at the G20 summit in Bali. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies since they became presidents.
Later, Xi and US Vice President Kamala Harris met during the Asia-Pacific Summit in Bangkok. The White House reported that Harris reiterated Baden’s message that we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage competition between our nations. Chinese state media also stated that Xi told Harris that the meeting with Biden was strategic and constructive and would be a key guide for the next stage of China-US relations.