Pentagon chief unable to talk to Chinese military leaders despite repeated attempts


Source: netscape.com netscape.com

Key Topics in this News Article:

News Snapshot:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has so far been unable to speak with China's top general despite multiple attempts to set up talks, U.S. defense officials said on Friday. Relations between China and the United States have grown increasingly tense, with the world's two largest economies clashing over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea. Despite the tensions and heated rhetoric, U.S. military officials have long sought to have open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to be able to mitigate potential flare-ups or deal with...