Military leaders from the United States and China met in Beijing to discuss issues such as Taiwan, the war between Russia and Ukraine and clashes in the South China Sea between Chinese Coast Guard and Philippine vessels.
Military-to-military communication of the two countries fell off in 2021 when tensions between the two countries flared over growing disagreements on issues such as Taiwan’s sovereignty, the origin of COVID-19 and economic concerns.
The talks resumed in January this year. However, communication resumed after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco last November. So far, it remains unclear whether the talks could continue as the US prepares for the presidential election.
During the bilateral talks, the two sides discussed the Ukraine-Russia conflict as well as China’s actions in the South China Sea, said a senior US defence official briefing reporters on the meetings. Nevertheless, the talks seem to have failed to resolve long-standing differences in positions.
The delegation for the bilateral defence policy coordination talks was led by Michael Chase, who attended the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, a defence forum that serves as China’s response to the Shangri-La Dialogue.
