A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday said the United States is entirely responsible for the Chinese defense minister not meeting his U.S. counterpart in Laos.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin were both in Vientiane for the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Plus defense ministers meetings. The Pentagon earlier told reporters that the Chinese side declined a meeting request by Austin.

The U.S. side cannot undermine China's core interests on the Taiwan question while engaging with the Chinese military as if nothing is wrong, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement.

The spokesperson urged the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes and strive to create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two sides.