"Biden and Xi Jinping Prepare to Announce Resumption of Military Talks at Summit"

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are reportedly preparing to announce the resumption of military talks between the two countries during a planned summit at this month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Axios reported on the 8th (local time), citing multiple sources.

According to the report, Wang Yi, member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau and Foreign Minister, who visited Washington DC last week, indicated to the U.S. side that China is ready to resume military dialogue.

The military dialogue channels between the U.S. and China were mostly severed after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year, which provoked strong opposition from China. In response, the U.S. has made resuming military talks a top priority at the White House to prevent accidental clashes between the two militaries. When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June, he also requested the resumption of military talks, but while China agreed to resume high-level talks, it did not respond positively to this specific request.

The military dialogue channels that China had cut off previously included the 1998 U.S.-China Maritime Military Communications Agreement, which primarily allows communication between naval vessels and fighter pilots of the two countries.

The outlet also noted signs of recent improvements indicating that the U.S.-China military dialogue channels are being restored. Xsanti Karas, the U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for China, attended the Xiangshan Forum, a security conference held in Beijing from the 29th to 31st of last month. Earlier this month, U.S. and Chinese officials, including military administrators, met in Beijing to discuss maritime security issues. This week, U.S. and Chinese arms control officials met in Washington DC to hold talks on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation. Axios added that China had previously refused to hold defense minister talks with the U.S., citing the fact that Defense Minister Li Shangfu was under U.S. sanctions, but noted that he was dismissed last month.

Bonnie Glaser of the German Marshall Fund said, "China is sending signals that it will resume military communications, which is very significant." However, she added, "It is still unclear whether China is willing to take meaningful steps to reduce accident risks or discuss ways to maintain strategic stability."