China-US Graphic: GT

Despite having undergone a medical procedure very recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is planning to meet bilaterally with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major regional annual defense and security forum that will take place in Singapore from May 31 to June 2.

Austin's decision to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue shortly after his hospital treatment raises the significance, attention and news buzz of the possible meeting between the defense ministers of China and the US, Lieutenant General He Lei, former vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told the Global Times on Sunday. 

On Friday, Austin was transferred to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, underwent nonsurgical procedure for complications related to his surgery in January, and temporarily transferred power to his deputy. Later the same day, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement that Austin had resumed his duties and "no changes in his official schedule are anticipated at this time," the AP reported on Saturday.

The medical treatment comes on the same day the Pentagon announced Austin's plan to meet his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun. 

Communication in defense matters is crucial for both sides to manage mutual differences, but China looks forward to witnessing greater sincerity from the US side regarding China's core interests and security concerns, rather than engaging in dialogue for dialogue's sake, or in other words, merely for a political show, experts said. 

Military-to-military communications between China and the US had been frozen since former US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's sneaky and provocative visit to Taiwan island in 2022, and started to recover since the summit meeting between Chinese and US heads of state in San Francisco in November in 2023. 

The possible meeting in Singapore will be the first in-person dialogue between Dong and Austin, following their video call in April. 

The Pentagon has not provided further details on the Austin-Dong meeting. As of press time, the Chinese side has not yet released an announcement on the matter. However, mainstream Western media outlets have already linked the potential dialogue to the just-concluded military exercises that the PLA conducted around Taiwan island, hinting that the Taiwan question is likely to be a key focus of their discussions.

Given past experience and media hype, it is reasonable to be concerned that the US is not seeking dialogue to resolve differences or problems but rather to steer them according to the US playbook, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

As a result, China will undoubtedly reiterate its red lines, should the meeting take place. For instance, China will express its expectation for the US to implement US president Joe Biden's words, especially those regarding the Taiwan question and the South China Sea affairs - the US does not seek to revitalize its alliances against China, does not support "Taiwan independence" - said during the summit meeting in San Francisco last November, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

If the meeting between the two defense ministers takes place, it is hoped that the US side will demonstrate genuine sincerity and trustworthiness, translating the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders into tangible actions and making convincing contributions to turning the San Francisco vision into reality, He Lei said. 

He Lei noted that it is hoped that the talks will enhance strategic mutual trust between the Chinese and American militaries, prevent misjudgments, and play a constructive role in effectively managing differences between the two sides. It is also expected that, through the dialogue of defense chiefs, China and the US will fulfill their duty and obligation as responsible major powers' militaries in contributing to regional and global peace and stability.