China-US relations: defence ministers’ call highlights faultlines over Taiwan and Ukraine

Lloyd Austin’s conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe was his first since taking charge at the Pentagon

The conversation between the pair had been delayed for more than a year because of a row over protocol

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China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe. Photo: AP

Published: 8:30pm, 21 Apr 2022Updated: 8:42pm, 21 Apr 2022

The first phone call between the Chinese and US defence ministers in more than a year shows both nations are eager to reduce tensions between their militaries, analysts said

But the phone call between Wei Fenghe and Lloyd Austin on Wednesday still highlighted key differences between the two sides.

Washington was most concerned about Ukraine while Beijing sent a warning over Taiwan, Chinese military observers said.

It was the first direct communication between the two defence ministers since August 2020 when Wei spoke to Donald Trump’s former defence secretary Mark Esper.

This week’s phone call followed protracted wrangling over protocol, with the US demanding that Austin speak to a more senior figure – General Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission – but Beijing said it would be more appropriate to talk to Wei.

But the Chinese and US militaries have maintained “smooth” communications through the direct link that was established by the Pentagon and China’s defence ministry in 2008, Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University said.