After a year, talks took place between Top military officials of US and China

After a year, talks took place between Top military officials of US and China

The Pentagon announced that the highest-ranking U.S. military official engaged in a virtual meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, marking the first such conversation in over a year. U.S. Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and China’s People’s Liberation Army General Liu Zhenli discussed various global and regional security issues during the meeting. Liu holds the position of Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), responsible for China’s combat operations and planning.

According to Brown’s office, the discussion emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts to responsibly manage competition, prevent miscalculations, and maintain transparent lines of communication between the two military forces. General Brown reiterated the importance of substantive dialogue from the People’s Liberation Army to decrease the likelihood of misunderstandings.

Last month, Brown expressed his openness to a meeting by sending an introductory letter to Liu. In response, Liu emphasized that a correct understanding of China is crucial for developing a healthy, stable, and sustainable military-to-military relationship between the U.S. and China, according to a statement from the Chinese defense ministry.

Efforts were underway 

Despite some progress in restoring military communications, U.S. officials have cautioned that establishing a fully functional dialogue between the two sides may take time. The restoration of communication was highlighted as a priority in talks between President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping last month, with Biden emphasizing the need to manage the situation rationally to prevent conflict.

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Concerns about the lack of communication from China have been voiced by U.S. military leaders for months. Following Biden’s meeting with Xi, the Pentagon disclosed that active coordination was underway to establish communication with Beijing. While Defense Secretary Austin had a brief exchange with his counterpart Li Shangfu in June, there has been no substantive exchange.