US and China Agree to Restore Military Communication Channels to Prevent Conflict

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Saturday that the United States and China have reached an agreement to revitalize military-to-military communication channels with the goal of "deconflicting and deescalating" potential issues.

The agreement emerged during talks between Hegseth and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun at a regional summit in Malaysia, following the high-level meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in South Korea the previous day.

Hegseth shared on social platform X that he had spoken with President Trump who agreed that "the relationship between the United States and China has never been better." He noted that he had further communication with Admiral Dong after their initial face-to-face discussion.

"The Admiral and I agree that peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries," Hegseth stated, emphasizing a future built on "strength, mutual respect, and positive relations."

The Pentagon leader confirmed that both officials "agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise." While such communication mechanisms have existed historically, they have periodically fallen into disuse.

"We have more meetings on that coming soon," Hegseth added without providing further details. Beijing had not immediately commented on the announcement.

According to a statement from China's defense ministry about their Malaysia meeting, Dong urged Hegseth that the two nations should "strengthen policy-level dialogue to enhance trust and dispel uncertainty" and develop a bilateral military relationship "characterised by equality, respect, peaceful coexistence and stable positive momentum."

Earlier this year, Hegseth had warned that China was "credibly preparing" to employ military force to disrupt the power balance in Asia, comments that prompted strong objections from Beijing.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, despite competing claims from neighboring countries, including several U.S. allies in the region.

Tensions have also occasionally escalated regarding Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory while opposing any official international engagement with the island.

In 2022, a visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi triggered China to conduct military exercises around the self-governed island.