China says that defense leaders not meeting is because of US strategy toward Taiwan

The Chinese defense ministry said that the U.S. position on Taiwan was the reason why its minister did not meet with his U.S. counterpart at a meeting in Laos this week.

U.S. sources said on Wednesday that Defense Minister Dong Jun turned down Lloyd Austin’s request to meet with him while he was in Southeast Asia with other defense ministers.

A spokesman for the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, “The U.S. side cannot go against China’s core interests on the Taiwan issue while acting normal with the Chinese military.”

People started to wonder if the comments meant that a change in U.S. policy toward the island is the only way to get the two countries’ defense ministers to talk again.

“Entirely the responsibility” of the U.S. for not meeting was said by a Chinese spokesperson.

The spokesperson also told the U.S. to “immediately correct its mistakes” and work to make it easier for the two countries’ top military leaders to meet and talk.

China claims that Taiwan, which is democratically ruled, is its own land, which Taiwan’s government denies.

No matter that they are not officially recognized, the U.S. is Taiwan’s biggest foreign ally and arms supplier.

Austin told reporters on Wednesday that the fact that his Chinese colleague didn’t want to meet with him wouldn’t change anything in the future.

“I just think that it’s something that they chose to do at this point in time and only they can explain why they chose to not take advantage of a good opportunity,” he said.

Austin met China’s defense minister at a conference in Singapore earlier this year. They talked about their differences in Taiwan and other problems but stressed the importance of military-to-military communication.