ISTANBUL

China has the “full capability and confidence” to respond calmly to any "acts of provocation or infringement," Defense Minister Dong Jun told his US counterpart in the first face-to-face meeting on Friday.

Dong and Pete Hegseth met in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on the sidelines of a summit of defense chiefs of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN).

Stressing China remains “committed to peaceful development while resolutely safeguarding its national security interests,” Dong expressed hope that the “US would translate its commitment of not seeking to contain China or engage in conflict into concrete actions,” according to an official statement from China’s Defense Ministry.

Dong urged Hegseth to work with China to “inject positive energy into regional and global peace and stability.”

It was their first meeting since Hegseth was appointed as Pentagon chief early this year in January. Last month, they held a video call.

Regarding Taiwan, Dong said: “The reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is an irreversible historical trend.”

He urged the US side “to act and speak prudently on Taiwan-related questions and to take a clear stance against ‘Taiwan independence.’”

He recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, during their meeting in South Korea a day earlier, had provided “strategic guidance” for the stable development of bilateral ties, “pointing out that China and the US can absolutely achieve mutual success and common prosperity.”

The Chinese defense minister told the Pentagon chief that the two sides should play a leading role in high-level strategic communication and strengthen policy-level communication to build trust and dispel doubts.

Dong called for expanding "positive interactions" among frontline officers and soldiers and encouraging universities and academia to "provide assistance in exploring the correct way for the two militaries to coexist."