US and China to reopen military hotlines – Hegseth

The US and China have agreed to reopen top-level military-to-military channels following a recent bilateral meeting of their top brass in Malaysia, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The communications are a key de-escalation mechanism that Beijing cut in 2022 after a formal visit to Taiwan, a self-governed region viewed by Beijing as an inseparable part of China, by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Late last year, under the administration of then-President Joe Biden, the two sides resumed military dialogue regarding the Indo-Pacific region, but broader channels remained severed.

Hegseth met with Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, just days after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, sealed a trade deal that diffused weeks of tension amid a trade war flare-up.

“Admiral Dong and I… agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise,” Hegseth wrote on X on Sunday.

“We have more meetings on that coming soon,” he added.

However, just a day earlier, at the ASEAN meeting, Hegseth urged Beijing’s neighbors to strengthen their maritime forces to counter what he called “the threats we all face from China’s aggression.” He accused Beijing of “illegal activities” in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its sovereign waters, and which is the subject of a number of overlapping claims by its neighbors.

Dong hailed his talks with Hegseth as “successful,” in a statement cited by Xinhua news agency.

He also expressed hope that Washington will honor its commitment to not try to “contain” China or pursue conflict, as well as to take a clear stance against “Taiwan independence,” Xinhua cited.

While the US officially adheres to the One-China policy, it continues military cooperation with Taiwan and supplies the island with arms.

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