WASHINGTON – The United States and China wrapped up two days of military talks in Washington on Tuesday, the Pentagon said, the latest engagement since the two countries agreed to restore military-to-military ties.
Washington and Beijing are at loggerheads over everything from the future of democratically-ruled Taiwan to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Ties are still being restored after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed late last year to restore military ties that Beijing severed after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022.
In the 17th round of talks, Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, met with Chinese Major General Song Yanchao, deputy director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, the Pentagon said.
“The two sides discussed US-PRC defense relations, and Chase emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the military to prevent competition from coming into conflict,” the statement added, using an acronym for the People’s Republic. China.
Pentagon officials say communication between the two militaries is key to preventing a miscalculation from degenerating into conflict.
The top US military officer, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a virtual meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Liu Zhenli, last month.
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China is willing to develop healthy and stable military-to-military relations with the US “on the basis of equality and respect”, its defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the meeting.
He called on the US to halt military deployments and “provocative actions” in the South China Sea, as well as stop support for such actions by “certain countries,” but did not identify them.
She asked the US to follow the one-China principle and stop arming Taiwan, which China claims as its territory despite Taiwan’s strong objections, and vowed never to back down on the issue.
“The United States should fully understand the root causes of the maritime and air security problems, severely limit its frontline forces and stop promoting (the problems),” it added.
Taiwan is holding presidential and parliamentary elections this weekend amid an accelerated war of words between Taiwan and China.
U.S. officials have warned that even with some restoration of military communications, it may take time to establish a truly functional dialogue between the two sides.
