China’s defense minister says the United States is trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.”.
about how far it would be willing to go to defend Taiwan in the face of a Chinese invasion. At the same time, it does not support Taiwanese independence.if Taiwan were attacked, though the White House later said the comments did not reflect a policy shift.Austin on Saturday accused China of threatening to change the status quo on Taiwan with a “steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity” near the island.
He said China’s “greatest wish” was “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, but also made clear Beijing was willing to do whatever it took to realize its goals. Wei and Austin met one-on-one on Saturday, and Taiwan featured prominently in their discussions, according to the U.S.On Sunday, Wei met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, which the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported was the first high-level meeting between the two countries in more than two years.
“As Sec. Austin observed after his own meeting with Defense Minister Wei, it is really important in these times to have open lines of dialogue,” he told reporters.