Top US and Chinese military officers resume communication; Pentagon credits Biden-Xi meeting

Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Thursday with his Chinese counterpart in the first such conversation in more than a year

In the first sign that the U.S. and China are restoring long frozen military contacts, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Thursday with his Chinese counterpart, in the first such conversation between the two nations' top leaders in uniform since July 2022.

Brown spoke via video-conference with Gen. Liu Zhenli of the People's Liberation Army's joint staff department, according to a statement released by Brown's office.

The men discussed a variety of issues and maintaining lines of communication was a major topic given the lack of contacts over the last year and a half, during which the number of unsafe and unprofessional intercepts carried out by Chinese aircraft over the South China Sea increased significantly, the Pentagon has said.

Brown "discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication," his office said. "Gen. Brown reiterated the importance of the People's Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other top U.S. officials have stressed the need to maintain dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese militaries to avoid potential miscalculations and misunderstandings.