Pentagon chief expresses optimism over eventual China talks

News Snapshot:

BRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed optimism on Friday that he would eventually hold talks with his Chinese counterpart after being snubbed by Beijing during an event in Singapore earlier this month. "I'm confident that, over time, that's going to happen. We're going to meet at some point in time. But we're not there yet," Austin told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Austin's comments came ahead of a high-profile trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China on June 18 and 19, the first by a high-ranking U.S. official since...