According to Chinese authorities, the United States and China have had high-level commander talks for the first time. These talks are taking place in the midst of efforts to stabilise military ties and avoid misunderstandings, particularly in regional hotspots such as the South China Sea.
Due to the fact that relations between the United States and Beijing reached an all-time low after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in the previous year, Washington is hoping to establish fresh lines of regular military communication with Beijing.
On Tuesday, Adm. Sam Paparo, who is in charge of the United States’ Indo-Pacific command, talked to his counterpart, Wu Yanan, who is in charge of the southern theatre command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The conversation took place via video conference.
Two hotspots for regional tension that are also flashpoints in bilateral relations between the United States and China are the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, both of which are included in the areas of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
An “in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern” took place between the two parties, according to the Chinese Ministry of International Defence.
The Indo-Pacific command issued a statement in which it described the exchange as “constructive and respectful.” In the statement, Paparo urged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to “reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.”
Moreover, he emphasised the significance of maintaining conversations in order to elucidate the intention and lessen the likelihood of misunderstandings or errors in calculating.
The conversation took place after a meeting that took place in Beijing a month ago between Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser for the United States, and the leading military adviser for Xi Jinping, the leader of China. During that meeting, the talks were agreed upon.
The Brazilian armed forces conducted large-scale military exercises this week in the city of Formosa, which is located in the state of Goiás in Brazil. The exercises were also attended by troops from the United States of America and China.
American and Chinese troops haven’t trained together since Beijing took part in the Ridge of the Pacific exercise, also known as Rimpac, in 2016.
When Nancy Pelosi, who was serving as the speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, travelled to Taiwan in August 2022, the majority of the two-way military engagements that took place between the United States and China were cancelled for nearly two years.
In an online interview with the publication Foreign Policy, Nicholas Burns, the United States ambassador to China, expressed his concern regarding the possibility of an unintended conflict between our military forces, as well as an accident or an accidental collision.
This week, the United States intends to send a top official from the Pentagon to China to participate in a major security meeting.