A meeting between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu in Singapore next June is unlikely to occur. As the Financial Times notes, citing its own knowledgeable sources, it is impossible to talk about the possibility of personal contact between ministers until Washington lifts sanctions against the current head of the Chinese Ministry of Defense. .
According to the publication’s interlocutors, Beijing will refuse to meet under the conditions of the restrictive measures mentioned. At the same time, the US administration believes that the restrictions are not an obstacle to meeting Austin with Lee in a third country. Moreover, according to sources, this position of the United States has already been conveyed to China.
At the same time, the newspaper claims that the possibility of a quick lifting of sanctions against the Chinese defense minister is currently not being discussed in Washington.
Reports of attempts by the US side to secure a meeting between the Pentagon chief and his Chinese counterpart emerged on May 5. According to Andrey Koshkin, expert at the Association of Military Political Scientists, this American zeal is explained by completely understandable practical considerations.
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