It’s no secret that tensions have been running high between China and the West, including with the United States. The situation around Taiwan is an ongoing sore point, as well as China’s aggressive expansion into the South China Sea. This week, military leaders from around the world met at the Shangri-La Defense Forum, held in Singapore, and American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met for an hour with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun. Austin came away from the meeting with a surprisingly confident tone, claiming that war with China is “neither imminent nor unavoidable.” Dong Jun had less to say, and other nations didn’t seem to be nearly as optimistic, particularly the Philippines, which has been engaged in saber-rattling with Beijing for a couple of years now. (Associated Press)
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday…
