Lloyd Austin and Dong Jun talk about the South China Sea, Taiwan, North Korea and Ukraine in a wide-ranging discussion.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun held their first substantive talks in nearly 18 months as the two countries work to restore military ties.
The two spoke via video conference on Tuesday, the Pentagon said in a statement.
It said Austin “highlighted the importance of respecting the freedom of navigation on the high seas guaranteed by international law, especially in the South China Sea.”
A growing diplomatic row and recent incidents between China and the Philippines, a US treaty ally, on a disputed shoal have turned the strategically significant South China Sea into a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.
China claims almost the entire sea, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam claim the areas around its coasts.
An international court ruled in 2016 that China’s nine-dash line, on which Beijing bases its claim, had no merit.
“The US side should recognize China’s firm position, respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take practical measures to safeguard regional peace,” Dong said, quoted in a statement by the Chinese Ministry of Defense.
He also warned the US about the democratic island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, stressing that it was the “core of China’s core interests”.
Austin’s last significant interaction with China’s defense minister was in November 2022, when he met Wei Fenghe in Cambodia.
Wei was later replaced by Li Shangfu, who shook hands and spoke briefly with Austin at a security conference in Singapore last June but avoided a formal meeting. Li, who was under US sanctions, disappeared shortly after and was fired in October. Dong was appointed in December.
Ways to ‘Get Along’
The U.S. and China have worked to improve a relationship that has become increasingly acrimonious over issues from Taiwan to the South China Sea, as well as trade and human rights.
US President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California last November, where they agreed to stabilize the relationship and resume military ties that had been frozen as a result of the visit by then-House Speaker US Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
The top US military general subsequently held discussions with his Chinese counterpart, and this month US and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii to discuss ways the two countries can operate safely.
China and the US should explore ways to “get along” and “gradually build up mutual trust” by building a “non-conflict, non-confrontational”, pragmatic and cooperative relationship between their militaries, Dong was quoted as saying in his call with Austin. .
“The military sphere is key… to stabilizing the development of the relationship and preventing major crises from occurring,” he said.
Austin also emphasized the need to keep lines of communication open to reduce the risk of potential outbreaks or deal with any accidents.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open military-to-military lines of communication between the United States and the PRC,” the Pentagon said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
The Pentagon said the two men also discussed issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine and North Korea.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
