SINGAPORE -- The U.S., Japan, Australia and the Philippines held their first-ever quadrilateral defense chief talks in Singapore on Saturday amid growing challenges posed by China in the South China Sea and in the waters around Taiwan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada met with their Australian and Philippine counterparts, Richard Marles and Carlito Galvez, on the sideline of the Asia security forum known as Shangri-La Dialogue.
