China and the US reach a consensus on reestablishing military interactions.
The defense chiefs of China and the US have decided to reestablish routine interactions between their militaries. In a statement made by Pentagon leader Lloyd Austin in Singapore on Friday, the commanders on each side will start making phone calls again in the forthcoming months. Additionally, they are planning to set up a crisis communication team with China by the end of this year. During the Shangri-La Security Conference in Singapore, Austin and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun conversed casually.
Wu Qian, the spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said the interaction between Dong and Austin was successful. Both individuals acknowledged the importance of holding direct dialogues between the military forces. Furthermore, Wu shared that the poor state of bilateral military relations will cease to exist, and things are now becoming more stable.
The US and China have been trying to lessen tensions. Following a meeting in November in the States between President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, both sides acknowledged the need to reopen military talks. The meeting between Austin and Dong had been anticipated after their conversation in April. Previously, there had been no significant communication at the defense minister level for 18 months prior to this.
Wu highlighted that it's impractical to address all bilateral issues in a single conversation. However, "communicating with each other is superior to not communicating at all," he stated.
Austin had cautioned last year that military conflicts could easily escalate, especially if there were no open lines of communication between the Chinese and American military.
