Senior US and Chinese military commanders have affirmed continued communication on security issues to lay the groundwork for a planned US-China phone summit.
China says the commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command, General Wu Yanan, held a video teleconference on Tuesday with the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo.
The PLA Southern Theater Command oversees areas including the South China Sea.
China’s Defense Ministry says the two sides “exchanged in-depth views on issues of common concern.”
The US Indo-Pacific Command says Paparo cited several recent PLA unsafe interactions with US allies, and underscored the Chinese military’s obligation to comply with international laws and norms.
He also urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.
Paparo also noted the necessity of continued dialogue on issues of concern.
The two countries have resumed suspended talks between their defense ministers and high-ranking military officials based on an agreement at the summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last November.
Observers say that before a phone summit of their top leaders planned for the near future, the US and China reaffirmed their intention to continue dialogue on security issues at the talks between senior military commanders.