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☆ US Navy 'excited' by prospect of better communication with China, but says more work needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy was "excited" by the prospect of improved operational communications with the Chinese military amid regional tensions, but work was still needed to solidify the next steps, a senior U.S. naval officer said on Friday. "I'm very excited and I welcome that announcement," she said of China's agreement to resume telephone communications between theatre commands, something U.S. officials have been eager to develop. "These agreements were reached just recently, and we know that we have work with the PRC mil to do to solidify the next steps," Franchetti said. Her remarks come after agreements this month by U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping to resume military contacts that Beijing froze after then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. Reporting by Greg Torode; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Jamie Freed and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James Mattis, Wei Fenghe, Yuri Gripas, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Franchetti, Joe Biden, China's Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, Greg Torode, Liz Lee, Jamie Freed, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, of National Defense, REUTERS, U.S . Navy, U.S, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, HONG KONG, Seoul, Taiwan, San Francisco, Iran, United States

To underscore the pattern, the Pentagon released previously nonpublic photos and videos of Chinese fighter jets intercepting US aircraft flying in international airspace. The images, which date back to January 2022, show Chinese fighter jets getting dangerously close to US military jets in international airspace in an attempt to “intimidate” them, the Pentagon said in a statement about the incidents. Some of the Chinese fighter jets came within 20 feet of the US planes, the videos show. Office of the Secretary of Defense Public AffairsThe photos and videos also show the Chinese jets releasing objects and projectiles, including flares. But the Pentagon’s efforts this year to engage with Chinese military leadership have gone unanswered, and US officials have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of military-to-military dialogue between the countries.

Persons: ”, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Austin, Adm, John Aquilino, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, Wei Fenghe, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ” Aquilino Organizations: CNN, US, East, South China, Pacific Security Affairs, Pentagon, PLA, Defense Public Affairs, People’s, Army, Defense, National Defense, Military, Security, China Locations: South, “, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Top US-China exchanges since Biden took office
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is a list of some of the other high level U.S.-China exchanges since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. FIRST TRADE TALKS - May 26, 2021U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's then Vice Premier Liu He held talks virtually, the first such high level trade talks between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office. DIPLOMAT VISITS CHINA - July 26, 2021Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tianjin, China. DEFENCE CHIEFS HOLD FIRST TALKS - April 20, 2022U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a call with China's then defence minister Wei Fenghe, the first talks between the two officials since Biden took office. BIDEN AND XI MEET IN BALI - November 14, 2022Biden and Xi held their long-awaited first face-to-face leadership talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Persons: Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Joe Biden, BIDEN, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, Katherine Tai, China's, Liu, Wendy Sherman, SULLIVAN, YANG, Sullivan, Yang, Lloyd Austin, Wei Fenghe, WANG, Wang, Nancy Pelosi, HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Gina Raimondo, Wang Wentao, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, BLINKEN, Antony Blinken, Washington's, Martin Quin Pollard, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Kim Coghill Organizations: . Treasury, U.S, FIRST, National Security, . Trade, CHIEFS, . Defense, General Assembly, BIDEN, IN, Economic Cooperation APEC, CHINA COMMERCE, . Commerce, Commerce, Washington D.C, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, Austin, BEIJING, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Yellen's, U.S, Anchorage , Alaska, Blinken, CHINA, Tianjin, Taiwan, North Korea, ROME, Russia, Ukraine, New York, IN BALI, Bali , Indonesia, BANGKOK, Asia, Thailand, MUNICH, Munich, WASHINGTON, Washington, Singapore

☆ Factbox: Top US-China exchanges since Biden took office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is a list of some of the other high level U.S.-China exchanges since then. FIRST TRADE TALKS - May 26, 2021U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's then Vice Premier Liu He held talks virtually, the first such high level trade talks between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office. DIPLOMAT VISITS CHINA - July 26, 2021Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tianjin, China. DEFENCE CHIEFS HOLD FIRST TALKS - April 20, 2022U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a call with China's then defence minister Wei Fenghe, the first talks between the two officials since Biden took office. BIDEN AND XI MEET IN BALI - November 14, 2022Biden and Xi held their long-awaited first face-to-face leadership talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, BIDEN, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, Katherine Tai, China's, Liu, Wendy Sherman, SULLIVAN, YANG, Sullivan, Yang, Lloyd Austin, Wei Fenghe, WANG, Wang, Nancy Pelosi, HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Gina Raimondo, Wang Wentao, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Martin Quin Pollard, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: U.S, FIRST, National Security, . Trade, CHIEFS, . Defense, General Assembly, BIDEN, IN, Economic Cooperation APEC, CHINA COMMERCE, . Commerce, Commerce, Washington D.C, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, Austin, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Anchorage , Alaska, Blinken, CHINA, Tianjin, Taiwan, North Korea, ROME, Russia, Ukraine, Beijing, New York, IN BALI, Bali , Indonesia, BANGKOK, Asia, Thailand, MUNICH, Munich, WASHINGTON, Washington, Singapore

☆ U.S. warns China that helping Russia in war in Ukraine would 'alienate' it from world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Adam Edelman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House on Dec. 12, 2022. President Joe Biden's top national security adviser said Sunday that the White House had not yet seen China provide Russia with lethal assistance in its war on Ukraine and warned Beijing that doing so would be against its interests. "We have not seen China yet provide military equipment to Russia for purposes of fighting in the war in Ukraine. We haven't seen it yet," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC News' "Meet the Press." A Chinese fighter jet flew within 500 feet of a U.S. Navy plane over the South China Sea last week.

China's launch of a spy balloon on a high-altitude journey over the United States was unacceptable and irresponsible, he said, but he was postponing - not canceling - his visit. Biden has said the balloon needed to be shot down, but has played down both the security threat and the impact on U.S.-China relations. GIVE TALKS A CHANCEShort of a high-level visit, there are opportunities for diplomacy. "The Chinese don't want to look weak and they probably don't want to admit that they lied (about the balloon). President Biden is also under pressure from Republicans in Congress who insist the balloon should have been shot down sooner," said Glaser.

☆ China Refused U.S. Call After Downing of Suspected Spy Balloon, Pentagon Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—China’s defense minister rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speak immediately after the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon, the Pentagon said, indicating how the episode has further inflamed the powers’ fraught relations. The Defense Department submitted the request for Mr. Austin to speak over a secure line with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after the Air Force shot down the balloon Saturday, said Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - China declined a request for a phone call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after Washington brought down a Chinese spy balloon, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Tuesday. The Pentagon submitted the request for a secure call on Saturday after the balloon came down, Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the PRC (China) has declined our request. China has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course into U.S. airspace and accused the United States of overreacting. Relations between China and the United States have been tense, with friction between the world's two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

The incident reflects what the U.S. calls a concerning trend of unsafe intercept practices by the Chinese military. The U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft was in international airspace on Dec. 21 when it was intercepted by a J-11 fighter jet from the Chinese navy, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The Chinese jet positioned itself about 10 feet from the RC-135’s wing and then drifted within 20 feet of its nose as the American plane maintained its course and speed, leading it to take evasive maneuvers. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others. Austin also raised the issue at a meeting in November with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.

☆ U.S., Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Reflection of Easing Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart for the first time in months, the latest sign of thawing ties between the two countries after a rupture in August following a trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mr. Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe discussed bilateral ties and security matters on the sidelines of a gathering of defense ministers in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

☆ U.S. and Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Reflection of Easing Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ U.S., China defence chiefs discussed need for improving crisis communication -Pentagon spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (not pictured), following their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/PoolPHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday discussed with his Chinese counterpart the need to improve crisis communication between the two major powers, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Austin, in his second meeting this year with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, also raised concerns about increasingly dangerous behaviour by Chinese aircraft that "increases risk of an accident", said Brigadier General Pat Ryder. The two met on the sidelines of a gathering of their Southeast Asian counterparts in Cambodia. Reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh and Idrees Ali; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan is at the core of China's core interests - Chinese defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Tuesday told his U.S. counterpart that Taiwan is at the core of China's core interests and was a "red-line" that must not be crossed. Wei said the United States must respect China's core interests and hoped it could adopt a rational, practical policy towards China, and get China-U.S. relations back on track. Beijing has steadfastly viewed Taiwan as an inalienable part of China. Earlier, Chinese state media quoted defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei as saying the main reason for the current state of relations between China and the United States was that the United States made the wrong strategic judgment. Tan said China was not responsible for the state of relations.

☆ U.S., China defence ministers meet for second time this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In June, a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said. Tuesday's meeting of the defence ministers took place on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia. read moreAfter Pelosi's visit, China announced it was halting dialogue with the United States in a number of areas, including between theater-level military commanders. Pelosi's Taiwan trip infuriated China, which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

☆ Pentagon chief raises concern about Beijing's 'dangerous' behavior with Chinese counterpart
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/PoolPHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday emphasized the need to improve crisis communications during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart while raising concern about "increasingly dangerous" behavior by Chinese military aircraft. In June, a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said. Tuesday's meeting of the defence ministers took place on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia. read moreAfter Pelosi's visit, China announced it was halting dialogue with the United States in a number of areas, including between theater-level military commanders. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

☆ China says open to meeting with U.S. defence secretary
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] China's State Councilor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe speaks at a plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 12, 2022. REUTERS/Caroline ChiaBEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - China said on Sunday it is open to a meeting with the U.S. defence secretary on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Cambodia this week, in a sign of thawing relations after the countries' top leaders met earlier this month. China Defence Minister Wei Fenghe and U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd previously confirmed separately that they would attend the forum with Southeast Asian countries, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus. On Sunday, China's defence ministry issued a statement featuring a question about whether the two would meet, with spokesman Tan Kefei quoted as saying, "China holds a proactive and open attitude for exchange with the United States." A meeting would represent the first high-level military exchange between the countries since China halted regular dialogue between military commanders in August in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

☆ Analysis: Need for speed: China Xi's new generals offer cohesion over possible Taiwan plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Although the Politburo's seven-man Standing Committee would make the ultimate decision on any Taiwan action, the Central Military Commission would forge and execute the battle plan, eight Asian and Western military attaches say. "If Xi Jinping is going to the pull the trigger on Taiwan, then he can't afford any dissent from the Central Military Commission," said Singapore-based strategic adviser Alexander Neill. That has always been Chinese thinking on Taiwan, and the Ukraine stalemate has confirmed the need to avoid getting bogged down in a slow logistical build up." Crucially, Li has experience with the People's Liberation Army's digitised strategic support forces, a body that covers electronic, cyber and space warfare. He was promoted to the position after his command of the reformed Eastern Theatre Command, which is responsible for Taiwan operations.

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