US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed last month to restore co-operation deteriorated after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, met with Chinese Major General Song Yanchao, deputy director of the Central Military Commission’s Office of International Military Cooperation, the Pentagon reported.
The two sides discussed US-PRC [the People’s Republic of China] defense relations, and Chase highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict.
Chase emphasised the importance of maintaining open military-to-military relations to “prevent competition from veering into conflict,” according to the statement. Pentagon officials argue that communication between the two militaries is crucial to prevent escalation of the conflict.
Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held this weekend in Taiwan, which China considers its territory, amid a long-running Taiwan-China conflict.
Nevertheless, US officials warned that establishing military communications and a functional dialogue between the two sides could take a while.
