US responsible for absence of defense ministers' meeting: Chinese defense spokesperson

BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday said that the responsibility for the absence of a meeting between Chinese and U.S. defense ministers during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus lies entirely with the U.S. side.

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry.

Wu said 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.

He urged the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistakes, earnestly respect China's core interests, and create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two sides.