US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed that his Chinese counterpart decided not to meet with him in Laos this week, a reminder of the ongoing tensions between the world's two largest economies as Donald Trump prepares to take office as US president, Bloomberg reports, UNN writes.
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Austin said it was unfortunate that Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun did not meet with him in Vientiane, where the military leaders were meeting. In the past, such multilateral meetings in the region have been a rare opportunity for the two sides to discuss security issues, including Beijing's plans for Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea.
"It has an impact on the region, because the region really wants two important players in the region, two important powers, to talk to each other," Austin told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting. - "And it calms the whole region down.
Austin said that China's refusal to meet has "no implications for the future" and only Beijing can explain "why they chose not to take advantage of a good opportunity." China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.