US and Chinese Defense Chiefs Hagset and Dong Jun held talks after Trump-Xi "truce"

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur – the talks took place the day after an agreement on a "truce" between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.

Details

The heads of the US and Chinese defense departments met during the summit of defense ministers of Southeast Asian countries in Malaysia. No official statements were released after the talks. The meeting was a continuation of the course to de-escalate tensions, agreed upon the day before during the summit of US President Donald Trump with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.

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Hegseth has actively urged allies in the Indo-Pacific region in recent months to increase defense budgets and coordinate efforts against Beijing's growing influence. During a trip to Japan, he discussed a joint strategy to deter China with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, in a previous conversation, Dong Jun emphasized that Beijing seeks stable relations but will not allow support for Taiwan's independence. 

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Meanwhile, according to CBS News, the US Indo-Pacific Command has been ordered to prepare a "show of force" in response to recent Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

Beijing, in turn, continues to actively patrol the Taiwan Strait and declares its readiness to respond to any US "interference" in regional affairs.

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