Top US and Chinese defense officials seek to restore communications as tensions rise in Indo-Pacific

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with his Chinese counterpart for more than an hour, as the two countries seek to repair lines of communications between their militaries that could be critical as tensions continue to rise between them in the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting Friday behind closed doors between Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun was the first in person between the top defense officials since contact between the American and Chinese militaries broke down in 2022. It came on the sidelines of the Shangri-La defense forum, Asia’s premier security conference, which features defense officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world.