At a naval symposium in Qingdao this week, top Chinese military leaders met with U.S. and Russian naval officials, announced Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian on Thursday. During a press briefing in Beijing, Wu mentioned that China’s naval leaders, Admiral Hu Zhongming and political commissar Yuan Huazhi, had in-depth discussions with Admiral Stephen Koehler of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Russia’s naval leader, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev.
“The PLA navy is willing to work with all countries to further strengthen communication, enhance trust and play a positive and constructive role in building a maritime community with a shared future,” Wu said.
The confirmation of the Hu-Koehler meeting was the latest sign that liaisons between the Chinese and U.S. militaries are returning to normal following a communications breakdown after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
Wu gave no more details of Hu’s meeting with Koehler.
Hu and Yuan also met naval counterparts from France, Chile and Cambodia as part of a symposium that also included Japanese, Indian, British and Australian officials amid heightened regional tensions.
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had a phone conversation with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, marking their first discussion in over a year. Earlier in the month, working-level officials from both countries met in Hawaii to discuss how their militaries could safely operate amidst increasing tensions concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Wu said on Thursday that the Austin-Dong phone call “bears positive significance in maintaining the overall stability of bilateral military ties”.
As military deployments increase across East Asia, U.S. military officials have sought to maintain open lines of communication with Chinese counterparts to boost understanding and ease the risks of accidents spiralling out of control.
More broadly, Wu reiterated Chinese concerns over U.S. strategic diplomacy across the region, particularly recent discussions about Japan joining the AUKUS defence grouping of Britain, Australia and the United States.
“For some time now, the U.S. and Japan have tightened military collaboration, hyped up bloc confrontation, and formed small cliques targeting others using the groundless ‘China threat’ as an excuse,” Wu said.
“This will only let the international community see clearly the nature of the U.S.-Japan alliance and their plot to undermine regional peace and stability.”
With Inputs From Reuters
