US, China Hold First Military Talks Since Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown attends a Rose Garden event as President Joe Biden nominates him as the next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman at the White House on May 25, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Military officials from China and the United States held talks for the first time in nearly two years, the Pentagon has announced.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown held a teleconference with China’s Chief of the Joint Staff Department Gen. Liu Zhenli on Dec. 21, according to a statement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“This was the first time the leaders spoke since Gen. Brown became chairman,” the statement reads.

Gen. Brown acceded to the position of chairman in October.

The United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hadn’t held direct military-to-military talks in nearly two years.

The CCP was first reported to have cut all military communications with the United States following a visit by then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan in August 2022.

However, Adm. John Aquilino said earlier this year that his requests to communicate with Chinese counterparts had gone unanswered since he assumed his role as commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in April 2021, suggesting that the CCP barred talks at the regional level long before Ms. Pelosi’s Taiwan visit.

The Joint Chiefs’ statement notes that Gens. Brown and Gen. Liu “discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication.”

Regional Military Communication Still on Hold

Resuming military-to-military communications at every level was a key feature of President Joe Biden’s high-profile summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told The Epoch Times that the breakthrough was owed the President’s discussion with Xi, and hoped the contact would help to de-escalate tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

“This is all a result of the discussion that President Biden had with President Xi out in San Francisco to get the military and military communications back on track and get them started again,” Mr. Kirby said.

“We’re glad to see this development. It’s an important step forward that will help reduce miscalculation and misunderstanding, particularly in places like the South China Sea. At least, that’s the hope. That’s the goal.”

After the summit, President Biden said the two leaders were “back to direct, open, clear, direct communication on a direct basis.”

That statement was later questioned when the White House revealed that direct military-to-military communications hadn’t resumed.

Earlier in December, Mr. Kirby acknowledged that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin still hadn’t held communications with the Chinese military.

A key reason for this, Mr. Kirby said, was that the CCP hadn’t filled the post of defense minister since the abrupt firing of Li Shangfu, who allegedly expressed skepticism about the regime’s ability to conquer Taiwan.

“I know Secretary Austin hasn’t had a restoration of military-to-military comms, and we’re very eager to get those going at the senior level and down to the theater commander level,” Mr. Kirby told reporters on Dec. 8.

“We’re eager to get those comms going. I mean, when you talk about all the tensions right now, military-to-military communications are really important to reduce miscalculation and misunderstanding.”

To that end, the Joint Chiefs’ statement suggests that other points of contact between the two militaries still aren’t taking place. Gen. Brown encouraged the opening of communication between Adm. Aquilino and his regional counterpart, according to the statement.

Such communications are vital to “reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.”

“The Chairman regularly communicates with Chiefs of Defense across the world and remains open to constructive dialogue with [China],” the statement reads.

Emel Akan contributed to this report.