US, Chinese defence chiefs pledge to continue military talks

Plans for crisis communications working group by year end among issues discussed

- Yew Lun Tian

The US and Chinese defence chiefs met on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Singapore, in a 75-minute meeting that ran longer than scheduled and which offers a boost to military-to-military communication that both sides said will be actively continued.

The May 31 meeting between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun newly appointed just five months ago was the first in-person meeting at this level in 18 months.

Both men underscored the importance of stepping up military dialogue, which had been cut after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

Plans to convene a crisis communications working group by the year end were discussed, said the Pentagon in a statement after the meeting, while the Chinese at a press briefing called for exchanges between military scholars to build trust.

The meeting between the defence chiefs comes six months after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume military-to-military talks when they met in San Francisco.

It also took place days after China sent warships and fighter jets near Taiwan, a source of geopolitical tension for the US and China.