Singapore-based security analyst Ian Storey said China’s decision to shun Austin did not bode well.
“At a time of rising US-China tensions, General Li’s refusal to meet his American counterpart will fray regional nerves even further,” Storey said.
Austin and Li will be in Singapore to attend the annual Shangri-la Dialogue that opens on Friday, an informal gathering of defence officials and analysts that also plays host to a string of side meetings.
Both are expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from around the region.
Chinese officials have yet to explain Li’s snub but some security analysts said Beijing’s annoyance at US sanctions against him was a possible reason.
Li, who security scholars say is a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army modernisation effort, has been under US sanctions since 2018 over the purchase of combat aircraft and equipment from Russia’s main arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
Li is a member of the Central Military Commission, China’s top defence body that is commanded by President Xi Jinping.
Source: CNA
