KUALA LUMPUR: China and the United States should build “trust” in order to coexist, Beijing’s defence minister said on Friday, but cautioned Washington about its “words and deeds” on Taiwan.

Dong Jun met US counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian regional defence summit in Malaysia, a day after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held talks in South Korea.

Trump and Xi did not discuss Taiwan on Thursday, the US president said, but Dong told Hegseth the “unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an irresistible historical trend”, according to a Chinese defence ministry readout.

“The US side should be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue and take a clear-cut stance firmly opposing `Taiwan independence’,” Dong said.

The Chinese statement also said Dong told Hegseth that their respective defence departments “should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state”.

He said they should also “strengthen policy-level dialogue to enhance trust and dispel uncertainty”, and build a bilateral military relationship “characterised by equality, respect, peaceful coexistence and stable positive momentum”.

Hegseth described the meeting in the Malaysian capital as “good and constructive”.

“I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and emphasised US concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and towards US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said in a post on social media platform X, using a US term for the Asia-Pacific region.

But he later told journalists: “I said to Admiral Dong as well, our position on Taiwan remains unchanged, and President Trump has said that as well.”

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025