Gen. Brown speaks with Chinese counterpart for first time since assuming high Pentagon job

By Carolina Stanton On Dec 21, 2023

Months of urging from the Pentagon for army leaders in China to speak paid off Thursday when Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke together with his Chinese counterpart by video teleconference.

It was the primary time Gen. Brown spoke with Gen. Liu Zhenli of the People’s Liberation Army since he changed retired Army Gen. Mark Milley on the Joint Chiefs in October.

“Gen. Brown discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication,” the Defense Department mentioned. “Gen. Brown reiterated the importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.”

Thursday’s video name was the primary discuss between high army leaders from the U.S. and China since August 2022 when Beijing suspended all contact after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. It follows a gathering between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping final month.

“The two military leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues,” the Pentagon mentioned.

The U.S. considers China its No. 1 pacing problem, the one different nation able to marshaling excessive ranges of army and financial energy. Washington has accused Beijing of participating in reckless and provocative conduct within the Pacific. The U.S. Navy recurrently sends warships by the Taiwan Strait and different elements of the South China Sea to press its navigation rights.

The Pentagon mentioned Gen. Brown “reaffirmed the importance” of either side holding high-level talks between Washington and Beijing and between Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and his counterparts within the PLA.

Gen. Brown “regularly communicates with chiefs of defense across the world and remains open to constructive dialogue with the [People’s Republic of China],” the Defense Department mentioned.