US and China: The Pentagon reported that Tuesday’s video teleconference between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese colleague Dong Jun was the first in-depth discussion between the defence secretaries of the two nations in about a year and a half.
The US has been striving to strengthen defence cooperation with its allies to counter China’s increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific area. However, to keep tensions from getting out of hand, the US also wants to keep lines of communication open with Beijing.
The Pentagon stated in a statement that “The two officials discussed US-PRC defence relations and regional and global security issues,” referring to China.
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Following recent meetings between the two sides, “Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC” the statement read.
Austin also “Reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” and “underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea.”
In November 2022, Austin had a meeting with Wei Fenghe in Cambodia, which was his most recent major engagement with a Chinese counterpart.
Li Shangfu took Wei’s post after that. At a defence conference in Singapore last June, Shangfu shook hands and had a brief conversation with Austin, but they did not have a formal meeting with the Pentagon commander.
Tensions between the US and China
According to Barron’s Washington and Beijing are at odds over many issues, chief among them being Taiwan, an independent, democratic island that China asserts will eventually become part of its territory and may perhaps annex with force.
Beijing withdrew its cooperation with the US in August 2022 over a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, at a summit in November, US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping decided to resume talks. This included cooperation on defence issues.
Another possible hot spot is disputes over the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly entirely. Clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels have raised concerns about a larger conflict.
Additionally, the US has brought attention to some episodes during the past few years in which it claims Chinese ships and warplanes behaved dangerously near US ships and aircraft.
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Despite tensions between the two countries, Austin has frequently underlined the value of military-to-military conversations to avoid potential confrontation. There have been multiple recent interactions between US and Chinese military leaders.
They discussed safety in military exchanges between Beijing and Washington this month and a December meeting between top US military officer General Charles “CQ” Brown and his Chinese counterpart, General Liu Zhenli.
The senior US defence official stated that the Pentagon and China “are continuing to discuss future engagements between our senior defence and military leaders,” and that “by speaking candidly about our concerns, these engagements provide us with opportunities to prevent competition from veering into conflict.”
