China Refuses to Engage in Talks with the US

Beijing has rejected the US proposal for a phone conversation between defense ministers. This could have been the first high-level contact between military leaders of the two countries since Trump's election as president. Nikkei Asia reported on this matter.

“US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, but the Chinese side has so far avoided this,” the article states. It notes that Beijing does not see a clear path to improving relations and is focusing on the aggressive rhetoric in the recent speech by the US Secretary of Defense.