USA (Washington Insider Magazine)— U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced that the United States and China will restart military-to-military communications “in the coming months,” a development that could help ease escalating tensions between the two nations. Austin made the announcement following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. This marks the first substantial in-person discussions between the two defense leaders in 18 months, following a video conference in April.
Beijing praised the efforts to stabilize security ties with the U.S., which have become increasingly strained amid economic competition and tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea. The two officials met for over an hour at the annual security forum attended by defense officials from around the world. Austin stated that telephone conversations between U.S. and Chinese military commanders would resume, and he expressed support for establishing a “crisis-communications working group” with China by year’s end.
Chinese defense spokesman Wu Qian described the talks as “positive” and indicated that military relations were stabilizing after a period of decline. However, he cautioned that resolving all bilateral issues cannot be achieved in a single meeting, emphasizing the ongoing tensions regarding Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.
The Shangri-La Dialogue took place just after China conducted military drills around Taiwan and issued warnings of war following the inauguration of President William Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has labeled a “dangerous separatist.” Wu reiterated that Taiwan is a purely internal matter for China and criticized U.S. actions as violations of the one-China principle.
Austin condemned China’s military exercises as “provocative” and asserted that Taiwan’s political transitions should not serve as justification for coercive measures from Beijing.
Beijing has expressed anger over U.S. efforts to deepen defense ties in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly with the Philippines, which recently held its largest joint military exercise with the U.S. In response to the deployment of a U.S. intermediate-range missile system in the northern Philippines, China’s defense ministry warned that such actions pose significant risks of war in the region.
In recent weeks, both the Biden administration and Chinese officials have ramped up communications to alleviate tensions, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Beijing and Shanghai last month. The focus has been on renewing military dialogue, which China suspended in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
The relationship between Washington and Beijing further deteriorated in 2023, marked by incidents including the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over U.S. airspace and increasing military aid to Taiwan. After a summit between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November 2022, both sides agreed to restore high-level military talks, including a direct communication channel between U.S. and Chinese military leaders operating near Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
The Pentagon emphasized that U.S. military operations would continue safely and responsibly wherever international law allows, warning that accidents could escalate without open lines of communication between American and Chinese forces.