US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenge, for the first time as concerns persist in Washington that Beijing could provide military support to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the exchange on Wednesday between Austin and Wei was a “follow-up” to a call between US President Joe Biden and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in March, in which the US leader warned that there would be “costs” if China supported Russia militarily.
