Military Offs. First Call Since Aug '22, But Flashpoints Loom In '24

(MNI) London - The US and China have held their highest-level military communications since August 2022, when then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan resulting in Sino-American relations notably deteriorating. In a readout the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles 'CQ' Brown Jr. confirmed that the General spoke with Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Gen. Liu Zhenli on the morning of 21 Dec. The two "discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication."

• Fox News reports: "The [US] official speaking with Fox News attributed the change of heart to President Biden's persistent appeals to Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping." The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the November APEC summit in San Francisco, CA.
• Bloomberg: "The [US] official said future steps include plans to hold talks on defense policy in January and a round of maritime consultations in the spring."
• Despite the apparent thaw, it should be noted that there are several potential flashpoints that could impact US-China relations in 2024. Notably the Taiwanese presidential election in January, continued NATO concerns about Beijing's close relationship with Moscow vis-a-vis the war in Ukraine, and then the US presidential election in November in which both the eventual Democratic or Republican presidential candidates are likely to run on a hardline ticket with regards to China given public sentiment.