Top US and Chinese Military Leaders Hold First Call to Stabilize Ties, Reports Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States and China conducted theater-level commander talks for the first time on Tuesday, according to Chinese officials. This meeting comes as both nations aim to stabilize their military relations and mitigate misunderstandings, particularly in regional hotspots like the South China Sea.

Following a significant downturn in relations after the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon last year, Washington is eager to establish new channels for regular military communication with Beijing.

Admiral Sam Paparo, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, participated in a video call with Wu Yanan, his counterpart in the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command oversees areas that include the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, both critical points of tension in U.S.-China relations.

The Chinese defense ministry reported that both sides engaged in a "detailed exchange of views on issues of mutual concern." During the call, Paparo urged the PLA to rethink its use of "dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics" in the South China Sea and beyond. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command characterized the conversation as "constructive and respectful."

Paparo emphasized the necessity of ongoing dialogue to clarify intentions and reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings or miscalculations.

This call followed a meeting in Beijing last month between U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and a senior military advisor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which they agreed to initiate these talks.

Additionally, U.S. and Chinese troops are participating in large-scale military exercises led by the Brazilian Armed Forces this week in Formosa, Goiás, Brazil. This marks the first instance since 2016 that American and Chinese forces have trained side by side, following China’s participation in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (Rimpac) organized by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Most bilateral military exchanges between the U.S. and China were halted for nearly two years after Nancy Pelosi, the then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in August 2022.

Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, expressed concern about the potential for unintended conflict between military forces, stating, "I certainly worry about an accidental collision."

Later this week, the United States plans to send a senior official from the Pentagon to attend a significant security forum in China.