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On June 4, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said that his country and Japan have agreed to hold expert-level talks to resolve a long-standing military dispute related to the two sides' maritime activities.
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| Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, where the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue took place. Photo: AP |
This is the latest effort to improve bilateral ties. After talks with his Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada in Singapore on the sidelines of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, the South Korean defense minister said the talks would focus on conflict prevention, which has been a stumbling block in bilateral defense cooperation in recent years.
On the same day, according to CNA, senior officials from more than 20 major intelligence agencies around the world held a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue.
Also on June 4, speaking at the Security Conference, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu accused “some countries” of intensifying the arms race and intentionally interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
China’s defense minister warned that the establishment of “NATO-like” military alliances in the Asia- Pacific region would push the region into a spiral of conflict. In a previous speech on June 3, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Beijing’s refusal to hold talks on the sidelines of the Singapore meeting undermined efforts to maintain peace in the region.
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