US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is set to meet with his Chinese counterpart, according to the Pentagon. The meeting will take place during the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual gathering of global defense officials, from May 31 to June 2. This highly anticipated meeting comes after Austin and Chinese naval officer Du Hengyuan had a phone conversation in April. Tensions between the US and China have been on the rise, with both sides accusing each other of provocations. In addition, Austin recently visited India and Singapore, and next week he will be traveling to Cambodia to engage with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers. It is worth noting that Austin has returned to his official duties after recovering from COVID-19, as previously announced by the Pentagon.