US, China to Resume Military Talks Amid Rising Tensions Over Taiwan and South China Sea

During the Shangri-La dialogue, a talk was held between the Defense Chiefs of China and the United States. The representatives of the two powers discussed sensitive issues regarding Taiwan and  China’s growing closeness with Russia, as well as dangling disputes in the South China Sea.

The First Meeting 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense, Adm. Dong Jun, recently engaged in their first in-person discussions. This meeting marks the first time Austin has directly interacted with a Chinese defense official since the latter part of 2022. The interaction highlights an essential step in diplomatic and military communications.

This meeting occurred on the sidelines of an annual defense conference in Singapore, a crucial event for regional security dialogue. The backdrop for these discussions is heightened regional tensions and strategic maneuvering. 

Beijing, which commands the largest navy in the world, continues to assertively advance its disputed territorial claims in both the East and South China Seas. These actions have been a source of considerable friction and concern among neighboring countries and global powers.

Meanwhile, the United States is actively working to reinforce its regional security alliances by strengthening ties with important allies such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, a move that Beijing views with contempt and disapproval. The US aims to enhance regional stability and counterbalance China’s growing influence, while China perceives these actions as efforts to encircle and contain its strategic ambitions.

The dialogue between Austin and Dong is thus set against a complex and charged geopolitical landscape, with both sides navigating their respective national interests and regional strategies. 

Mending Severed Ties

President Joe Biden’s administration and China have been intensifying communication efforts to mitigate tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. The initiative saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Beijing and Shanghai last month. A critical focus of these efforts has been to initiate military-to-military dialogue, which China had halted in 2022 in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. The visit underscored US support for Taiwan’s democracy but was condemned by Beijing as a violation of sovereignty.

After Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the suspension of communications further escalated tensions throughout 2023 due to several incidents. These included the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over US airspace, a meeting between Taiwan’s then-president Tsai Ing-wen and Pelosi’s successor Kevin McCarthy, and continued American military aid to Taipei.

Following a summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden in November last year, both sides agreed to renew high-level military talks. This agreement encompasses establishing a communications channel between the US Asia Pacific command chief and Chinese commanders overseeing military operations near Taiwan, Japan, and the South China Sea. Such a channel is crucial given the series of close encounters between Chinese and US forces in the disputed South China Sea, a region China claims almost entirely as its own.

In this context, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to operating safely and responsibly under international law. “The Secretary made clear that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” the Pentagon stated on Friday. 

Austin also cautioned that accidents could spiral out of control without open communication lines, underscoring the importance of resuming military dialogue to prevent such scenarios.