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Shangri-La Dialogue: the right time to talk is now, US defence chief Lloyd Austin says in swipe at China
- Defence secretary says there is no room for bullying or intimidation
- The United States is stepping up planning and training with partners from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, he says
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Jack Lauin Singapore
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered a veiled swipe at his Chinese counterpart in a speech to a key security conference in Singapore on Saturday morning, saying the right time for dialogue is any time for responsible defence leaders.
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Addressing hundreds of officials and analysts at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Austin said: “For responsible defence leaders, the right time to talk is any time. The right time to talk is every time, and the right time to talk is now.”
“And the more that we talk, the more we can avoid the misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to crisis or conflict,” he said at the three-day defence forum run by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.
The US said Beijing had declined a meeting between Austin and Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the conference.
Chinese Lieutenant General He Lei told the South China Morning Post earlier that the main reason for declining a formal encounter were the US sanctions placed on Li.
‘Encirclement and containment’
Responding to Austin’s call for talks, Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, a Chinese delegate to the conference, said on the sidelines that the US defence secretary wanted to present China as “not being so responsible”.
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