China refuses to meet Pentagon Chief because of arms sales to Taiwan
By Alimat Aliyeva
Beijing rejected Washington's offer to organize a meeting of defense ministers at the end of November due to the U.S. sale of weapons to Taiwan, Azernews reports.
According to the report, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin had
previously proposed holding talks with his Chinese counterpart,
General Li Shangfu, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Plus defense
ministers' meeting in Laos. However, Beijing declined the offer,
citing the recent U.S. arms sale to Taiwan as the reason. As CNN
notes, China often "cancels meetings and closes communication
channels" to express its "dissatisfaction with the United
States."
In October, the U.S. State Department approved a potential sale of
the NASAMS air defense system and radar stations to Taiwan for
approximately $2 billion.
On November 17, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Peru, stated that if the United States wants to preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait, it should approach the issue with caution and prudence, clearly oppose Taipei's independence, and support the peaceful reunification of China.
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