The Pentagon announced that China and the United States had concluded two days of military talks in Washington on Tuesday. This was the latest exchange of views since the two nations decided to pick up military-to-military relations again.
Beijing and Washington are at odds over a variety of issues, including South China Sea territorial claims and the future of Taiwan’s democratic government. After the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon in last February, relations are still mending.
Presidents Joe Biden of the United States and Xi Jinping of China decided late last year to restore military ties that Beijing had cut following Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s August 2022 visit to Taiwan.
Michael Chase, the deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, met the deputy head of the Central Military Commission’s office for International Military Cooperation, China’s Major General Song Yanchao, according to the Pentagon.
Using the People’s Republic of China as an acronym, the statement continued, “The two sides discussed US-PRC defence relations, and Chase highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict.”
According to Pentagon officials, dialogue between the two armed forces is essential to averting a miscalculation from turning into a war.
