Reports indicate that the United States top commander in the Indo-Pacific region spoke with his Chinese equivalent on Monday for the first time in years, a result of the Biden administration’s efforts trying to reestablish ties with Beijing.
This move comes after China officially broke high-level military communications with the United States in 2022 over political disputes.
Taiwan Visit
Back in August 2022, China announced a move to freeze top military communications following US House Representative Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a country China doesn’t recognize and believes is part of its territory.
This event between the US and China escalated tensions and made it harder for the two countries to coordinate moves in the South China Sea and other regions.
Provocative Move
White House spokesperson John Kirby at the time blasted the freezing move by Bejing as “irresponsible” given the gravity of influence each of their respective countries has.
“Bottom line is we’re going to continue our efforts to keep opening lines of communication that are protecting our interests and our values,” Kirby said.
Increased Conflict
Since the cut-off in military communication, the relationship between the United States and China has suffered.
In the intervening time, the Biden administration would go on to accuse the country of unfair trade practices and this year raised tariffs on Chinese exports like EVs, aluminum, batteries, semiconductors, steel, and more.
Ticking Time Bomb
In 2023, President Biden had fully embraced rhetoric attacking China over economic issues despite his administration’s attempts to repair relations with the country.
He referred to the country’s economic situation as a “ticking time bomb” and called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator”. China responded by calling the remark “extremely absurd and irresponsible.”
Meeting Xi
Despite these harsh comments from Biden, his administration was committed to improving relations, resulting in a meeting between the two country’s leaders in November 2023 where they agreed to resume military communication in the future.
“The two leaders welcomed the resumption of high-level military-to-military communication, as well as the U.S.-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks and the U.S.-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings. Both sides are also resuming telephone conversations between theater commanders,” said a White House statement of the event.
Biden Call
In April, Biden and Xi had a phone call where Biden again emphasized the necessity of cooperation in the South China Sea. The White House saw the call as a way to “check-in” on the pair’s still strained relationship.
“Intense competition requires intense diplomacy to manage tensions, address misperceptions and prevent unintended conflict,” a senior administration official said on a call with reporters. “This call is one way to do that.”
Rebuilding Ties
Late on September 9, Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, spoke with General Wu Yanan, commander of China’s Southern Theater. This fulfilled the earlier commitment by the two countries to restore high-level military ties.
The brief call marked the first time in years that the people in these positions had an official conversation with each other.
China’s Perception
According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the call was seen as the two countries “exchanging in-depth views on issues of common interest.”
Wu had only just taken command of his position in July, while his US counterpart Paparo was put in charge in May of this year.
America’s Motivation
Adm. Paparo during the video conference expressed the importance of a solid line of communication between the United States and China.
In his view, it was critical to “reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation” between the two superpowers. The risk of conflict in the region from the two countries’ competition with each other on the world stage is high, with ripple effects likely to affect other countries in the region.
Rare Talks
In late August, this phone conversation was announced to be taking place by Biden administration national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan asserted that the talks were necessary to “responsibly manage” the tense US-China relationship.
Future Cooperation
NBC reports that a senior administration official has plans for Biden and Xi to speak on the phone again in the coming weeks.
It’s also possible that before Biden’s term ends at the end of this year, the two leaders could have another in-person meeting.
