Beijing: Due to sanctions imposed by Washington over his alleged involvement in the transfer of Russian advanced weapons, China's newly appointed defence minister is highly unlikely to meet his US counterpart in Singapore next month, according to the Financial Times on Thursday.
The US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, is reportedly attempting to meet with Li Shangfu, who took office in March, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in June. China is said to have informed the US that there is "little chance" that such a meeting will occur.
Sanctions that the US placed on the minister back in 2018, when he was acting as the director of the Equipment Development Department, are alleged to be impeding diplomatic engagement. Li was allegedly involved in the transfer of Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 air defence system components from Russia to China, according to the State Department.
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According to sources cited by the Financial Times, although Washington noted that the restrictions would not prevent the defence chiefs from meeting in a third country, China's agreement to such talks while the sanctions are still in place "would be almost impossible." Washington is reportedly hesitant to lift those restrictions at the same time.
China, according to the Pentagon, has been refusing to communicate with Austin and Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, since April. Top US and Chinese defence officials, according to the department, have not spoken since November.
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A number of contentious issues in the two countries' relations, including the US decision to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over America in early February, are to blame for the communication breakdown. According to China, the object was a "civilian airship" that accidentally entered US airspace as a result of unavoidable circumstances.
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The Sino-US standoff over Taiwan is a further point of contention. The splinter island is regarded as Chinese territory by China. Despite not having formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, Washington has provided the local government with defence equipment. The visit of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last summer, which Beijing saw as a breach of the "One China" policy, also served to escalate tensions.