United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and China's Minister for National Defense Dong Jun met face-to-face for the first time on May 31, 2024 in Singapore on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD).

Positive, practical, and constructive

Nikkei quoted China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qiang, who described the meeting as “positive, practical, and constructive” communication at the strategic level.

Austin also spoke about the meeting on X, formerly Twitter, highlighting the importance of open lines of military-to-military communication.

I met today with the PRC’s Minister of National Defense for the first time since November 2022. Admiral Dong and I discussed regional and global security issues, U.S.-PRC defense relations, and the importance of open lines of military-to-military communication.… pic.twitter.com/J7nQtivA5o

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) May 31, 2024

China's Global Times (GT) quoted Wu as saying that the two men met for 75 minutes, longer than was planned, and that the two men spoke on bilateral relations, Taiwan, and the South China Sea issue.

Both sides emphasised the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication, according to a U.S. Defense Department press release.

Implementing the consensus

The importance of such communication was made clear during the November 2023  meeting in San Francisco between the two countries' presidents, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.

At the time, both presidents said that the respective militaries would resume telephone conversations between theatre commanders, and Austin welcomed plans to convene a crisis communications working group by the end of 2024.

GT said that the meeting represented a positive action by both militaries to implement the consensus reached at the San Francisco summit.

Former vice president of the People's Liberation Army’s (PLA) Academy of Military Sciences and current lieutenant general He Lei told GT that the meeting represented a “positive action” by both sides to implement the consensus reached when Xi and Biden met.

He said that the face-to-face talks showed the beginning of the restoration of “normal high-level interactions” between both militaries.

The airing of grievances

But despite the talks being described as positive, both sides took the opportunity to air some of their grievances.

Austin spoke about U.S. concerns regarding China's actions in and around the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan has recently inaugurated a new president, William Lai Ching Te, who China accuses of promoting pro-independence sentiments.

Seemingly in response to Lai’s inauguration day comments, China recently held a series of military exercises just off the coast of Taiwan.

The US Department of Defense’s press release called the PLA’s activity in the Taiwan strait “provocative”, and said that Taiwan's political transition was not a pretext for coercive measures .

But Austin also reiterated the US's Long-Standing commitment to its One China policy, which acknowledges that Taiwan is a part of China.

Austin also voiced the US's concern about a number of issues, including China and North Korea's role in supporting Russia's defence industrial base during its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

He also emphasised the US's commitment to freedom of navigation, saying that it would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allowed .

Dong expressed China’s concerns regarding the U.S. interfering in “China’s affairs with Taiwan”, as reported by Nikkei.

Nikkei also reported China’s defence ministry spokesperson as saying that the U.S. was sending “the wrong signal to separatist forces” in Taiwan, by congratulating Lai and sending a delegation to Lai’s inauguration.

First meetings

This is the first meeting between both superpowers’ defence heads since November 2022 when Austin met then-defence minister Wei Fenghe.

The 2023 iteration of the SLD came at a time of particular tension between the two, and despite Austin’s attempts to set up a face-to-face meeting with Wei’s successor Li Shangfu, all he managed to achieve was a brief handshake before dinner.

But since the November 2023 meeting between Xi and Biden, relations have eased somewhat, allowing an April 2024 video call between Austin and Dong, who was appointed in December 2023.

Dong has been in Singapore since May 30, when he was received by Singapore's defence minister Ng Eng Hen.

He also met with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on May 31.

Meanwhile, Austin arrive early in the morning of May 31, and was met by U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Kaplan.

Wheels down in 🇸🇬 Singapore.

I’m here to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, meet with regional counterparts, and continue DoD’s work with like-minded Indo-Pacific partners to promote our shared vision for a free and open region. pic.twitter.com/h2aMEoBFbT

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) May 30, 2024

Both men are due to speak at the SLD, Austin on Jun. 1 and Dong on Jun. 2.

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Top image via U.S. Department of Defense