US defence secretary raises concerns about China's military activity, Pentagon says
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin leaves after a US-China bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, May 31, 2024.
PHOTO: Reuters
SINGAPORE — US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin raised concerns about China's military activity during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Friday (May 31) in Singapore, the Pentagon said, the first such face-to-face contact since 2022.
"The secretary expressed concern about recent provocative PLA activity around the Taiwan Strait, and he reiterated that the PRC should not use Taiwan's political transition — part of a normal, routine democratic process — as a pretext for coercive measures," Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement after the meeting.
He was referring to the People's Liberation Army and the People's Republic of China.
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