US general defends calls to China in final months of Trump term
Al Jazeera
Mark Milley said the calls, which have come under scrutiny, were ‘routine’ and meant to assure ‘strategic stability’.
Top United States General Mark Milley has defended calls he made to his Chinese counterpart in the final tumultuous months of Donald Trump’s presidency, saying they were “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his job.
Milley’s comments on Friday came after a new book detailed two calls he made to General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army to assure him that the US was not going to suddenly go to war with or attack China.
The calls were reportedly motivated by concerns over Trump’s possible actions as the presidential election approached and later as he sought to overturn the victory of President Joe Biden.
