China declines invitation to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
CBSN
China declined an invitation for its minister of defense to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of an annual international defense summit in Singapore later this week, the Pentagon said late Monday.
"The [People's Republic of China] informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation for Secretary Austin to meet with PRC Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu in Singapore this week," Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
Both Austin and Li are scheduled to travel to Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 2-4 and give remarks. Austin met with Li's predecessor on the sidelines of the summit last year, but Austin has not spoken with Li since he assumed his position in March 2023.
