US warns of 'dangerous' moves in PLA talk

A senior US military official warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing's "dangerous" moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders.

Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of Taiwan and China's increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.

But they have sought to reestablish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific forces, and Wu Yanan, head of the Chinese army's southern theater command talked via video call.

He "underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication.

"Such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation," he said.

He also raised recent "unsafe interactions with US allies" by the Chinese side.

Paparo "urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond."

Wu's Southern Theater Command is responsible for military activities in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships.

China claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. This month, Beijing insisted it was defending its "rights" in the waters, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese coast guard vessel ramming one of its ships.

Beijing's readout of the talks said Wu held "an in-depth exchange of views" with his US counterpart.

The two officials discussed "issues of common concern," it added.

The talks were the first of their kind since China scrapped military communications with the United States in 2022 in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Yesterday's dialogue comes on the heels of the first visit to China by a US national security adviser since 2016.

Jake Sullivan visited Beijing last month, where he held talks with senior army official Zhang Youxia.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE