(Bloomberg) -- The US and China resumed a defense dialog aimed at preventing an inadvertent clash, part of a broader push to resume contacts up and down the chain of command that were severed as tensions spiked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea in recent years.

The talks between China’s People’s Liberation Army, the US Indo-Pacific Command and the US Pacific Fleet addressed what the two sides call military interactions of concern. Officials met April 3 and 4 in Honolulu.

“Open, direct and clear communications with the PLA — and with all other military forces in the region — is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication,” Army Colonel Ian Francis, the head of the US delegation, said in a statement. 

The meeting was the first since President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in a November meeting to resume military contacts severed after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August. Long before, China had also cut off many in-person meetings as part of a lockdown to control the Covid-19 pandemic.

The US has previously protested what it describes as “coercive and risky” behavior from China in areas such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. In October, the Pentagon said the US had logged about 300 unprofessional and potentially dangerous incidents since September 2021.

Earlier: Top US, Chinese Military Officials Speak Amid Warming Ties 

A senior US military official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the number of unsafe interactions between the two sides has declined in recent months but declined to say why. The official said US behavior hasn’t changed. 

During the 2024 working group meetings, both US and Chinese officials reviewed safety-related events over the last year and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism.

The diplomatic thaw has taken place amid ongoing tensions over issues ranging from export controls to tariffs, human rights and technology. At the same time, the countries have sought common ground on issues including risks posed by artificial intelligence and combating illicit drugs like fentanyl. 

 

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