"High-Stakes Meeting: U.S. and China Clash Over Taiwan as Ukraine Peace Conference Looms"
He is expected to seek support for a Ukraine peace conference to be hosted by Switzerland in mid-June. Russia has not been invited, and China has confirmed it will not attend. Zelenskiy has urged U.S. President Joe Biden to attend, but Washington has not confirmed its representative. Earlier in the day, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China's defense minister, Dong Jun, met on the sidelines of the Singapore conference. They reiterated their differences on Taiwan and other issues but emphasized the importance of maintaining military-to-military communications. Austin expressed concern about Chinese military activity near Taiwan, especially following the island's presidential election and the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te this month, according to U.S. Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder. "The secretary expressed concern about recent provocative military activity around the Taiwan Strait, and he reiterated that political transitions should not be used as ...