Two U.S. and Chinese defense officials agreed that developing practical military communications was important to reducing bilateral risks during meetings in Washington, the U.S. Department of War (DoW) said.
Cynthia “Xanthi” Carras, principal director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Policy, met with Senior Colonel Wang Wei, deputy director of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Office of International Military Cooperation’s Americas and Oceania Affairs Bureau, at the annual Crisis Communications and Prevention Working Group on Nov. 2-3.
The readout said officials considered additional ways to manage military crises and improve the pace and usefulness of exchanges. It did not describe a particular channel or procedure.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sept. 26 that the two militaries had agreed to conclude a memorandum of understanding on crisis communication and prevention as soon as possible. The announcement followed President Xi Jinping’s Sept. 23-25 state visit to the United States.
The Department of War said discussions with the PLA on key defense issues would continue in the coming months.
