China agrees to meet with US defence secretary for first time since Taiwan crisis

China's defence ministry agreed to meet with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for the first time since China held unprecedented military drills surrounding Taiwan last month.

China had halted all regular military dialogue with the US following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is now scheduled to meet face-to-face with Austin while the pair attend a regional security forum in Southeast Asia this week, Fox News reports.

A spokesman for China's defence ministry alluded to the meeting in a statement to reporters this weekend.

"China holds a proactive and open attitude for exchange with the United States," said spokesman Tan Kefei when asked about whether the pair would hold talks.

Austin's meeting comes after President Biden held his first in-person talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.