China rejects U.S. call for defence ministers to meet in Singapore

China on Tuesday,  rejected a call by the United States for a meeting of their defence ministers on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore later this week.

“The U.S. is clear about the difficulties facing a China-U.S. military dialogue,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing.

She called on the U.S. to respect China’s sovereignty and security concerns, to correct “wrong practice” and “create the necessary atmosphere.

“U.S. should also create conditions for dialogue and communication between the Chinese and U.S. militaries,” she added.

Mao did not repeat a call for U.S. sanctions on Defence Minister Li Shangfu to be lifted.

The U.S. requested a meeting between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Li at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) defence summit being held in Singapore from Friday to Sunday.

A Pentagon spokesman said the Chinese side was refusing to meet.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on the weapons development department of China’s People’s Liberation Army in 2018 and on Li, its leader at the time, citing dealings with Russia.

The sanctions restricted financial transactions and business links in the U.S.

The U.S. administration did not see this as an obstacle to a meeting between Austin and Li, who was appointed China’s defence minister in March.

Relations between the two powers hit a low following the downing of an apparent Chinese espionage balloon in February and the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China.

The annual IISS summit gathers together hundreds of ministers, military officers and defence experts.

(NAN)