China rejects US proposal for meeting of two countries’ defense ministers

China has rebuffed a US request for a meeting between their defense chiefs on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend, the Pentagon said, Report informs referring to The Wall Street Journal.

The decision by China formally to inform the Pentagon shuts the door for now on a meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Li Shangfu, China’s new defense minister, which the US had proposed on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum.

China’s dismissal of the proposal also was termed an unusually blunt message, US defense officials said.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Liu Pengyu, Chinese embassy spokesman in Washington, said the US was “seeking to suppress China through all possible means and continue imposing sanctions on Chinese officials, institutions and companies.”

He added: “Is there any sincerity in and significance of any communication like this?”

China’s decision comes after a weekslong effort by the US to secure a meeting, including a letter from Austin to Li. The rebuff could spark concerns among Southeast Asia allies nervous about being caught between the two powers, some US officials warned. They held open the prospect of a Singapore meeting between lower-level officials.