US, Chinese Military Officials Hold 1st In-Person Talks Since 2020

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Michael Chase hosts delegates from China for the annual U.S.-PRC Defense Policy Coordination Talks at the Pentagon on Jan. 9, 2024. Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza/U.S. Navy via AP

U.S. and Chinese military officials met at the Pentagon this week for their first in-person discussions of Indo-Pacific security in four years.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase met with Song Yanchao, deputy director of China’s Central Military Commission, at the Pentagon on Jan. 8 and 9.

A readout provided by the Pentagon states that the two officials discussed U.S.–China defense relations, operational safety across the Indo-Pacific, global security issues, and the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Mr. Chase, the readout states, “reaffirmed that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows; and underscored that the U.S. commitment to our allies in the Indo-Pacific and globally remains ironclad.”

He also underscored the importance of freedom of navigation in accordance with international law “in light of repeated [Chinese] harassment against lawfully operating Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.”

Only by maintaining open lines of military-to-military communications can the two powers “prevent competition from veering into conflict,” Mr. Chase told Mr. Song.

Conversely, according to a readout released by China’s Defense Ministry, Mr. Song vowed that China would “not make any concession or compromise” regarding Taiwan, which the Chinese communist regime claims is part of its territory.

US, China Slowly Restoring Military Communications

The meeting was a continuation of the U.S.–China “Defense Policy Coordination Talks,” which occurred annually from 2005 to 2022.

The talks went remote during the height of COVID-19 in 2020 and were canceled altogether by China in 2022 following then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

President Joe Biden has made restoring military-to-military communications a key goal of his engagement with Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. held a teleconference with his Chinese counterpart in late December 2023, but relatively little has yet materialized from the effort.

At the time, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told The Epoch Times that the breakthrough resulted from President Biden’s discussions with Xi.

“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.”

Regional military communications still appear to be on hold. Still, the Pentagon readout states that the Department of Defense will “continue to engage in active discussions” with China to conduct future engagements at multiple levels.