United States: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called China’s defense minister on Tuesday. It was the first engagement in more than a year, and the two sides are looking to restore their respective military relationships.
Presidential Involvement
The phone call took place at a time when American President Joe Biden also had talks with their Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on managing tensions, and their last-second attempt at replacing the communication did not yield any results, as reported by Reuters.
In a readout after the call, the Pentagon said Austin “underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea.”
The rising diplomatic crisis and sea encounters near the maritime areas of the Philippines, a U.S. treaty colleague, have made this strategic waterway, the South China Sea, a potential meeting point between Washington and Beijing.
Strategic Concerns
The Pentagon assumed that the two had discussed Ukraine’s crisis, North Korea, and Washington’s view on the “one China policy” as well.
The last time the defense ministers of China and Austin spoke was in 2022 when they met during a meeting of Southeast Asian nations in Cambodia. Wei Fenghe was the one holding that position of defense minister.
Renewed Communication
Tensions between the rivaling superpowers increased before the Biden-Xi meeting in November due to their disputing on topics ranging from Taiwan to China’s military activity in the South China Sea.
In a statement made by the U.S. military in October, it was revealed that such activities had been conducted at least 200 times in 2021 alone when Chinese military aircraft performed rapid maneuvers that put American aircraft at risk.
Emphasis on Open Channels
In fact, it has been since the general of the top military of the United States has talked with China’s general.
Much earlier this month, the U.S. military held meetings with the Chinese military to ensure the safety of the two countries’ aircraft, ships, and satellites.
The U.S. strategic officers have been adopting this communication strategy for a long time to avoid potential emergencies or accidents, as reported by Reuters.
Austin, the Secretary of Defense, further stressed the need for keeping the communication channels between the United States and the PRC military in an open manner, the Pentagon expressed after the meeting.