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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III has revealed that he is “encouraged” by revelations that military-to-military talks between the US and China would restart following President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco.
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The plan to resume military-to-military talks at senior levels, including between theatre commanders, was one of several agreements reached during President Joe Biden’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In addition to this announcement, the two leaders also discussed the resumption of bilateral efforts to combat global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking, including fentanyl. They also discussed the need to address the risks of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems and improve AI safety.
Secretary Austin welcomed the announcement while in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the final leg of his ninth official visit to the Indo-Pacific, saying: “As you know, we had been open to meeting with [Chinese leaders] here in Jakarta, but we’re encouraged by recent news from the White House on the planned resumption of military-to-military communications.”
“You’ve heard me say before that there is no substitute for consistent and substantive dialogue between senior leaders. So, we’ll continue to seek practical discussions with [the Chinese] from a senior leader level to the working level.”
This comes following increased Chinese belligerence and antagonism towards both US and regional partners’ military assets in the region, particularly in the South China Sea following a number of incidents between Chinese surface vessels and the Philippines.
According to the most recent China Military Power Report, the US has documented more than 180 coercive and risky air intercepts against US aircraft in the region between 2021 and 2023.
Secretary Austin also articulated that while it is too soon to tell whether China’s pledge to resume military-to-military dialogue signals a broader intent to dial back provocations in the region, it is critical that the two countries maintain open lines of communication.
“I won’t make any predictions about China’s future behaviour,” Austin said. “What I will say is that we will continue to need the mechanism to manage crises and make sure we prevent things from spiralling out of control from time to time. That’s even more important if activities in the region have increased – if unhelpful things like close intercepts ... have increased.”
“[That’s] all the more reason that senior leaders need to be able to talk to each other.”
As part of this tour, Secretary Austin visited India, South Korea, and Indonesia, where he engaged with counterparts throughout the region and continued what defence officials describe as historic momentum with allies and partners throughout the region.
In Indonesia, Secretary Austin attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus. This summit includes representation from China, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to the 10 ASEAN member states and the US.
The secretary also participated in an informal meeting with ASEAN counterparts where he detailed plans to implement the US–ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. That partnership includes the emerging leaders defence program and a new gender adviser initiative that the US will support alongside ASEAN partners.
Secretary Austin said: “This is my ninth trip to the region as Secretary of Defense. I think that sends a powerful message and reassures our allies and partners. We have been out in the region, throughout. Even though we’re busy in Europe [and] we’re busy in the Middle East, we’re here in the Indo-Pacific.”
