No meeting held between Chinese, U.S. defense ministers

No meeting was held between the Chinese and U.S. defense ministers during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus, and the responsibility lies entirely with the U.S. side, China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said on Thursday when commenting on U.S. Defense Department officials' statement that China had refused a meeting between the defense ministers due to U.S. arms sales to the island of Taiwan.

The U.S. cannot undermine China’s core interests on the Taiwan question while engaging in exchanges with the Chinese military as if nothing has happened. The U.S. should immediately correct its mistakes, truly respect China’s core interests, and work to create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two countries, Wu said.