‘Substantive’ talks between US, Chinese militaries must resume, Pentagon official says
- China’s moves in Taiwan Strait and South China Sea could spiral into crisis, though conflict isn’t ‘imminent or inevitable’, says assistant US defence secretary
- The two nations’ direct military communication has largely been frozen over the past year, with Xi Jinping rejecting a US offer that it be restored
A senior Pentagon official said communication between the Chinese and US militaries had seen “some new openings” but called for “substantive” talks between defence leaders to manage potential crises.
Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said on Thursday that the Pentagon would continue to seek open lines of communication with the PLA, as direct talks have largely been frozen over the past year.
Addressing the current state of military relations between the countries, Ratner said: “We are not where we need to be and not where we should be.”
Beijing “has declined multiple invitations from the department for opportunities to communicate directly with Secretary Austin, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other department officials,” Ratner said, referring to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“And we will continue to call for substantive conversations between our senior most defence officials.”
After then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, Beijing cut off three main military communication channels with Washington. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June, he proposed restoring those channels, but Chinese leader Xi Jinping rejected the offer.