Gen. Wei Fenghe described the US Indo-Pacific strategy as "an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Indo-Pacific." It is designed "to create conflict and confrontation, to contain and encircle others."
Richard Marles disclosed the meeting, which was unplanned and took flight from a dinner the two men attended: "We're sitting at the same table and we both agreed that it was important our two countries meet."
US Defense Secretary says US does not seek an "Asian NATO," but blasts China for "growing coercion" and "dangerous" activity in the region.
"The coordinated activity between liberal democracies that Beijing long suspected would inevitably fail, is seemingly more successful than it would previously have anticipated were possible," writes Meia Nouwens of IISS.
Originally scheduled to last 30 minutes, the meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe, went on for 56.
Above everything else there is the fundamental discussion of how will the rising power of China and the still mighty but relatively fading power of the United States compete.