Vientiane, Laos - China's Minister for defense turned down a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a high-level gathering of security officials in Laos this week.

The Pentagon chief expressed regret over Chinese defense minister Dong Jun's decision not to meet on the sidelines of this week's ASEAN-Plus defense ministers meeting.

"I regret that the PRC chose not to meet here," Austin said in a press briefing in Laos. "The PRC's decision is a setback for the whole region. As I've said consistently, the right time to meet is any time."

Defense Secretary Austin reassured journalists during the press conference that he does not believe the snub "has any sort of implications for the future" after a reporter asked if there had been a broader breakdown in the relationship.

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"Again, you have to engage them to get their explanation for their decision to not meet," Austin told reporters. "It's unfortunate. It affects the region because the region really wants to see us, you know, two significant players in the region, two significant powers, talk to each other."

"I just think that it's something that they chose to do at this point in time, and only they can explain why they chose to not take advantage of a good opportunity," he added.

It is common practice for defense officials to hold private meetings on the sidelines of major conferences like the one in Laos this week.

As a result, Austin met with a range of ASEAN leaders this week, including his counterparts in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and beyond.

Rebutting Austin's claims, China's defense ministry hit back in a statement on Thursday in which a spokesperson said that the responsibility lay entirely with the US and its policy on Taiwan.

Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said that "the United States cannot undermine China's core interests by selling arms to Taiwan on one hand while pretending that nothing happened and seeking to engage in military exchanges with China on the other."

Spokesperson Wu urged the US "to immediately correct its mistakes, earnestly respect China's core interests, and create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two sides."