Austin: Dialogue with China not a reward, but necessity
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that a political dialogue is not a reward, but a necessity needed to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations and eventual crises and conflicts.
In a series of tweets in which he summarized the speech he gave at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, Austin underscored that "[o]pen lines of communication with the People's Republic of China are essential—especially between our defense and military leaders. For responsible defense leaders, the right time to talk is anytime, the right time to talk is everytime and the right time to talk is now."
"The countries of the Indo-Pacific have come together around a compelling vision of the future in which all countries are free to thrive on their own terms—without coercion, intimidation, or bullying. It’s a vision of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific," he concluded.