(Bloomberg) -- Chinese and American military commanders overseeing operations in the South China Sea had their first conversation since such talks were suspended following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, held a video call with Wu Yanan, commander of the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, according to statements from both sides.
Wu’s and Paparo’s remits overlap in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims have been disputed by its neighbors and led to tensions with countries including the US and the Philippines.
The officials “exchanged in-depth views on issues of common concern,” according to a brief Chinese statement Wednesday. US Indo-Pacific Command said Paparo emphasized the importance of established lines of communication, pointing out that “such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation.”
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — a key US ally — has pushed back on China’s claims in the waterway over the past two years in part by ramping up supply missions to the country’s lone outpost in Second Thomas Shoal. Marcos has also granted the US military access to more of his nation’s bases, including some closer to Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory.
China, whose claims to the region’s waters have been rejected by an international tribunal, has been trying to block the resupply missions, leading to more frequent — and increasingly violent — clashes.
Read: Top US Official, Chinese General Meet to Revive Security Ties
According to the US statement, Paparo cited the Chinese military’s “unsafe interactions” with US allies, adding that he “urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.”
The video call came after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited China and met with President Xi Jinping and other top officials. Following those talks, both sides pledged to have their military commanders speak soon.
The call was part of broader efforts to repair military-to-military discussions agreed to when President Joe Biden met with Xi in California last November.
(Adds US statement in fourth and seventh paragraphs.)
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