US Navy commander hails ‘constructive and candid’ talks with Chinese counterparts
- Admiral John Richardson met senior figures from the PLA as part of a visit designed to reduce friction between the two sides
- Recent months have seen increasing tension over the self-ruled island and China’s presence in the disputed South China Sea
A senior US naval officer said that he had had a “constructive and candid” discussion with his Chinese counterpart as part of an effort to calm growing tensions between the two sides.
Admiral John Richardson, the US Chief of Naval Operations, tweeted after the meeting with Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong, the head of the PLA Navy, that the two sides were both committed to continuing their dialogue.
“Our two countries have many aligned interests and all countries benefit from a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific,” wrote Richardson.
The senior US navy commander also met Qiu Yanpeng, deputy commander of the Navy, on Sunday after he arrived in China for a three-day visit that include stops in Beijing and the eastern city of Nanjing, headquarters of the PLA Eastern Theatre Command.
Richardson will meet leaders from the Central Military Commission and Shen, with the goal of “continuing a results-oriented, risk reduction-focused dialogue” between the two militaries, the US navy said.