China and the United States should build "trust" in order to co-exist, Beijing's defence minister said on Friday, but cautioned Washington about its "words and deeds" on Taiwan.

Dong Jun met US counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian regional defence summit in Malaysia, a day after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held talks in South Korea.

Trump and Xi did not discuss Taiwan on Thursday, the US president said, but Dong told Hegseth the "unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an irresistible historical trend", according to a Chinese defence ministry readout.

"The US side should be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue and take a clear-cut stance firmly opposing 'Taiwan independence'," Dong said.

China claims self-governing Taiwan as

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