China, U.S. defense chiefs spar over Taiwan at Singapore meeting

SINGAPORE -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese counterpart Dong Jun exchanged sharp comments over rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait during a rare meeting on Friday, while pledging to maintain communication.

The meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore was the first for Austin and Dong, who was appointed defense minister in December. It also marked the first for the rival superpowers' defense chiefs in about 18 months.