Beijing has rejected Washington's proposal to arrange a meeting between defense ministers at the end of November.

Axar.az reports, citing CNN, that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin suggested holding talks with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, during the "ASEAN Plus" defense ministers' meeting in Laos.

A senior American defense official, speaking with reporters before a summit of Asian defense officials in Laos, said that the Pentagon had offered to meet and that China declined, citing objections over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

It is noted that China regularly cancels meetings and cuts communication channels to express dissatisfaction with the U.S.

For context, in October, the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of NASAMS air defense systems and radar stations to Taiwan for approximately $2 billion.