U.S. and Chinese defense officials met in Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss recent military interactions between the two countries.
The talks were reportedly agreed to during a November meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco.
Representatives from the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command discussed operational safety between the two parties in order to prevent any dangerous incidents from developing.
The dialogue was the first since Beijing ended bilateral cooperation in protest of then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 trip to Taiwan.
Reports indicate that the participants discussed safety concerns relating to air and naval maneuvers in areas of disputed sovereignty, particularly in the South China Sea.
The head of the U.S. delegation, Colonel Ian Francis, issued a press release at the conclusion of the conference saying, “The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows, and we take this responsibility seriously. Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA, and with all other military forces in the region, is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication.”
According to the Department of Defense’s 2023 China Military Power Report, the U.S. has documented more than 180 examples of dangerous actions by the Chinese military towards American aircraft in the Pacific since 2021.
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