A senior US military official yesterday warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing’s “dangerous” moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders.
Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of Taiwan and China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions, but they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.
Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and Wu Yanan (吳亞男), head of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, talked via videoconference.
Photo: AFP / Philippine Coast Guard
Paparo “underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA,” a statement from his command said.
“Such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation,” he said.
He also raised “unsafe interactions with US allies” by the Chinese side.
Paparo “urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond,” the statement said.
Wu’s Southern Theater Command is responsible for the Beijing military’s activities in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships.
China claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other nations and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Beijing this month said that it was defending its “rights” in the waters, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a China Coast Guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation.
Beijing’s readout of the talks said that Wu held “an in-depth exchange of views” with his US counterpart.
The two officials discussed “issues of common concern,” it added.
The talks were the first of their kind since China scrapped military communications with the US in 2022 in response to then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Yesterday’s high-level military dialogue between the geopolitical rivals comes on the heels of the first visit to China by a top White House aid since 2016.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited Beijing last month, where he held talks with senior army official Zhang Youxia (張又俠).
Sullivan’s meeting with Zhang saw the officials agree to hold a call between the two sides’ theater commanders, the White House said.
The top aide also raised the importance of “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea and “stability” in the Taiwan Strait, Washington said.
Zhang, in turn, warned that the status of Taiwan was “the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations.”
“China demands that the US halts military collusion with Taiwan, ceases arming Taiwan and stops spreading false narratives related to Taiwan,” Zhang said.
He also asked the US to “work with China to promote communication and exchanges between the two militaries and jointly shoulder the responsibilities of major powers.”
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