US, Chinese defense ministers discuss Russia's war against Ukraine

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Wei Fenghe, Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, at a meeting in Cambodia discussed Russia's war in Ukraine.

That's according to the Pentagon's press service, Ukrinform reports.

According to the report, the two met on Tuesday on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Both parties discussed U.S.-PRC defense relations and regional and global security issues.

A topic of their conversation was also Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Secretary Austin discussed Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine and underscored how both the United States and the PRC oppose the use of nuclear weapons or threats to use them," Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said.

In addition, Secretary Austin also expressed concerns about recent provocations from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and called on the PRC to fully enforce existing U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding the DPRK's unlawful weapons programs.

The Secretary reiterated that "the United States remains committed to our longstanding one China policy." At the same time, he underscored his opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo and called on the PRC to refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan.