BEIJING, November 21. /TASS/. The responsibility for the canceled meeting between the defense ministers of China and the United States in Laos lies entirely with Washington, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense Wu Qian said.
"There was no meeting between the defense ministers of China and the United States on the sidelines of the expanded ASEAN ministerial meeting, and the responsibility for that lies entirely with the United States," Qian said. "The United States cannot harm China’s basic interests on the Taiwan issue and simultaneously communicate with the Chinese military as if nothing happened."
Wu Qian stated that the United States must immediately correct its mistakes, "honestly respect China’s main interests, and seek to create favorable conditions for high-level contacts between the military of the two countries."
CNN and a number of other US media outlets, citing their sources, reported that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had previously proposed holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the expanded ASEAN defense ministers' meeting in Laos. Reportedly, Beijing rejected this offer, justifying it by Washington’s recent sale of weapons to Taiwan.
Earlier in October, the US Department of State approved the potential sale of NASAMS air defense systems and radars worth about $2 billion to Taiwan.
On November 17, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden during their meeting in Peru that, if the United States wants to preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait, it must treat this issue with care and caution, clearly oppose Taipei’s independence, and support the peaceful reunification of China.