WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (pic) spoke with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun via video teleconference on Tuesday (April 16), in the first substantive talks between the superpowers' defence chiefs in nearly 18 months.
The United States has been working to strengthen defence cooperation with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China's growing influence but also wants to maintain lines of communication with Beijing to prevent tensions from spiraling out of control.
