Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday morning, the latest conversation between officials in Washington and Beijing as they continue to improve military communications.
Tuesday’s video call was the first time Austin has spoken with Adm. Dong Jun, and it’s the first time he’s spoken at length with any Chinese military leader since November 2022.
“Secretary Austin underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea,” Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a readout of the call. “He also discussed Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine and expressed concerns about recent provocations from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).”
The United States has frequently expressed concern about Chinese military aggression in the South China Sea and unsafe aerial maneuvers by Chinese aircraft in the Pacific.
China ceased communication with the U.S. following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) trip to Taiwan in August 2022. Beijing argued her visit represented a shift in U.S. policy, which the Biden administration vehemently denied.
The U.S. has slowly thawed China’s cold shoulder. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November 2023, and about a month later, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his counterpart.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC,” Ryder’s readout continued. “He reaffirmed the announcement by President Biden and PRC President Xi Jinping in November 2023 that both sides will resume telephone conversations between theater commanders.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A senior defense official told reporters the department believes Beijing is “committed to reestablishing or reopening these lines of communication.”
Dong was appointed as China’s defense minister in December 2023, while the previous defense minister, Wei Fenghe, declined a U.S. request to speak with Austin last year after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traversed across the continental U.S.
