China open to defense minister meeting with US as tension eases
China says it’s open to a defense minister meeting with the US at a summit in Cambodia later this month, in another sign of thawing ties between the two nations.
“China holds a proactive, open attitude for exchanges with the US” at the ninth ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, and the two sides are maintaining coordination, defense ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement on Sunday.
He was responding to a question about whether the two countries’ defense ministers will meet at the event, which will run from Nov. 20 to 24.
China’s defense ministry had earlier confirmed minister General Wei Fenghe would attend the gathering.
The meeting will be China’s first official military exchange with the US since Beijing froze dialogue with Washington in August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
The thawing of relations follows a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group-of-20 meeting in Indonesia this month.
The world’s two largest economies are taking efforts to reduce tensions after their ties deteriorated in recent years due to frictions over trade, technology, Taiwan, human rights and other issues.