LULEA, Sweden (Reuters) – It was “regrettable” that a possible meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu did not go ahead, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a news conference in Sweden, Blinken repeated the importance of regular and open lines of communication with Beijing. “The most dangerous thing is not to communicate,” he added.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Doina Chiacu)