China Rejects Meeting With Senior Biden Officials

China is refusing a request from the Pentagon for a meeting between the top military officials of Washington and Beijing.

The frosty move came after the Department of Defense offered a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

“Overnight, the [People’s Republic of China] informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday. “The Department believes strongly in the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between Washington and Beijing to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”

The Wall Street Journal noted that while China refused a meeting with Li, U.S. officials are optimistic about a potential meeting between lower-level officials.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo each held meetings with their Chinese counterparts earlier this month.

Beijing said that Washington must “correct its mistaken actions” before any meeting between Austin and Li could take place, according to the South China Morning Post. The United States has imposed sanctions on Li, China’s former Equipment Development Department Director, over weapons sales with Russia.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the U.S. would have to create the “necessary atmosphere and conditions” for a meeting to take place.

“Washington should earnestly respect the sovereignty, security and interests of China and immediately correct its mistaken actions to show its sincerity [to talk],” she said.

During President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Japan, the president predicted that U.S.-China relations would begin to “thaw” soon.

“We should have an open hotline. At the Bali conference, that’s what President Xi and I agreed we were going to do and meet on. And then this silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars’ worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another,” said Biden. “I think you’re going to see that begin to thaw very shortly.”

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