The Chinese and US military conducted a video call last week, the first dialogue between the Chinese and US Defense Departments since US President Joe Biden took office.
A U.S. official revealed that Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China of the U.S. Department of Defense, and Huang Xueping, deputy director of the Office of International Military Cooperation of China’s Central Military Commission, held a video talk via military hotline last week and said the talks focused on “crisis and risk management,” According to Chinese media quoting a Reuters report on August 27.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not yet spoken with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, multiple U.S. officials previously said, in part because of the debate over which Chinese official is Austin’s counterpart.
Reports indicated that Austin, who ranks fourth in Biden’s cabinet, would like to speak with Xu Qiliang, who is higher in the Chinese political and military system than Wei Fenghe.
The British “Financial Times” reported on May 21 that Austin had asked three times to have a dialogue with Xu Qiliang, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, but was all denied by the Chinese side.