The People’s Liberation Army has sent its Commander responsible for the South China Sea to the United States for the first time since Beijing shut down military ties more than two years ago. China’s Defence Ministry confirmed that General Wu Yanan, who heads the PLA Southern Theatre Command, met with US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo and representatives from the Philippines, among other countries, during last week’s Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Hawaii from September 18 to 20 at the invitation of the US. He also engaged in bilateral meetings and interactions with representatives from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, France and the US, the Chinese Defence Ministry said in a press release.
Following a video call between the commanders earlier this month, the two militaries are beginning to re-engage after communication channels were cut. During last week’s meeting, both sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern, focusing on implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state, as stated by the Chinese Ministry on Monday. The US Indo-Pacific Command said that Paparo underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA to reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation.
At last year’s conference, in Fiji, China was represented by General Xu Qiling, deputy chief of staff in the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission.
The experts stated that this decision will help reduce the risk of conflict with the US or the Philippines during the tensions in the South China Sea. Beijing suspended some important military communication channels, including those at the theatre command level, in response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 when she was the US House Speaker. While the Chinese Commander had not made a bilateral visit to the United States, his attendance at the conference was seen as beneficial for both sides in deepening their understanding, according to analysts.
The world’s two largest militaries began re-engaging after the Chinese and US presidents agreed in San Francisco in November to restart communications between the PLA and the Pentagon, among other agreements to ease tensions in the relationship.
Team BharatShakti
