diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/AsyncConnectionConfiguration.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/AsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
index b269508f701a..53091e0cadbf 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/AsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/AsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
@@ -149,10 +149,11 @@ class AsyncConnectionConfiguration {
   private final int maxKeyValueSize;
 
   AsyncConnectionConfiguration(Configuration conf) {
+    long operationTimeoutMs =
+      conf.getLong(HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT);
+    this.operationTimeoutNs = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(operationTimeoutMs);
     this.metaOperationTimeoutNs = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(
-      conf.getLong(HBASE_CLIENT_META_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT));
-    this.operationTimeoutNs = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(
-      conf.getLong(HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT));
+      conf.getLong(HBASE_CLIENT_META_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, operationTimeoutMs));
     long rpcTimeoutMs = conf.getLong(HBASE_RPC_TIMEOUT_KEY, DEFAULT_HBASE_RPC_TIMEOUT);
     this.rpcTimeoutNs = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(rpcTimeoutMs);
     long readRpcTimeoutMillis = conf.getLong(HBASE_RPC_READ_TIMEOUT_KEY, rpcTimeoutMs);
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionConfiguration.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionConfiguration.java
index db7ef8e63c18..56f3a65c9575 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionConfiguration.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionConfiguration.java
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ public class ConnectionConfiguration {
       WRITE_BUFFER_PERIODIC_FLUSH_TIMERTICK_MS, WRITE_BUFFER_PERIODIC_FLUSH_TIMERTICK_MS_DEFAULT);
 
     this.metaOperationTimeout = conf.getInt(HConstants.HBASE_CLIENT_META_OPERATION_TIMEOUT,
-      HConstants.DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT);
+      conf.getInt(HConstants.HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT,
+        HConstants.DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT));
 
     this.operationTimeout = conf.getInt(HConstants.HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT,
       HConstants.DEFAULT_HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT);
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAsyncConnectionConfiguration.java b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
index 022cab91267f..49f595a69456 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAsyncConnectionConfiguration.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category;
 
 /**
- * See HBASE-24513.
+ * See HBASE-24513, HBASE-28608.
  */
 @Category({ ClientTests.class, SmallTests.class })
 public class TestAsyncConnectionConfiguration {
@@ -69,4 +69,16 @@ public void testDefaultReadWriteRpcTimeout() {
     assertEquals(expected, config.getReadRpcTimeoutNs());
     assertEquals(expected, config.getWriteRpcTimeoutNs());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDefaultMetaOperationTimeout() {
+    Configuration conf = HBaseConfiguration.create();
+    long timeoutMs = 1000;
+    conf.setLong(HConstants.HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, timeoutMs);
+    AsyncConnectionConfiguration config = new AsyncConnectionConfiguration(conf);
+    long expected = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(timeoutMs);
+    assertEquals(expected, config.getOperationTimeoutNs());
+    assertEquals(expected, config.getMetaOperationTimeoutNs());
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestConnectionConfiguration.java b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestConnectionConfiguration.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0185c431033c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestConnectionConfiguration.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseClassTestRule;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseConfiguration;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.ClientTests;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.SmallTests;
+import org.junit.ClassRule;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category;
+
+/**
+ * See HBASE-28608. Configuration tests for (non async) connections
+ */
+@Category({ ClientTests.class, SmallTests.class })
+public class TestConnectionConfiguration {
+
+  @ClassRule
+  public static final HBaseClassTestRule CLASS_RULE =
+    HBaseClassTestRule.forClass(TestConnectionConfiguration.class);
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDefaultMetaOperationTimeout() {
+    Configuration conf = HBaseConfiguration.create();
+    long clientOperationTimeoutMs = 1000;
+    conf.setLong(HConstants.HBASE_CLIENT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT, clientOperationTimeoutMs);
+    ConnectionConfiguration config = new ConnectionConfiguration(conf);
+    assertEquals(clientOperationTimeoutMs, config.getOperationTimeout());
+    assertEquals(clientOperationTimeoutMs, config.getMetaOperationTimeout());
+  }
+
+}