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Defence Ministers Hold First Call In Nearly Two Years

US-CHINA

(MNI) London - US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III held a call with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun earlier today, marking the first lengthy communications between the countries two top military ministers in nearly two years. The previous occassion came in November 2022, when Austin met with then Chinese Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe at the ASEAN Defence Minsters Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

  • Inside Defence reports a senior US defence official "...saying the intent is part of the broader Biden administration effort to ensure that competition with China “doesn’t veer into conflict.” [...] “This is an important step,” said the official, who noted that the Pentagon and the Chinese military continue to discuss opportunities for further engagement."
  • Military communications between the US and China were broken off in December 2022 when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Taiwan.
  • While geopolitical rivalry between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific remains evident, increased direct communication between the two countries militaries would markedly reduce the prospect of an escalation via miscalculation.
  • The major threat to regional stability in the short term likely comes not from a direct attack by either nation, but by miscommunication or a miscalculation by military forces in the region that spirals into a broader conflict. Resuming regular talks could reduce the prospect of this scenario.

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