China and US agree to top military talks to head off close armed encounters
New mechanism between Chinese and US armed forces could ease Beijing’s suspicions about US moves, analyst says
The armed forces of China and the United States will set up a new dialogue mechanism as a further step to minimise military confrontation.
President Xi Jinping said both sides should make full use of the soon-to-be-established dialogue between the joint staffs of the two countries’ armed forces.
Both militaries should also “improve the existing notification mechanism on military action and the code of unexpected encounters between their navies and air forces”, state-run Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
Xi said military relations were an important part of Sino-US ties, and their high-level exchanges should continue.
Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military affairs commentator, said there should be better consultations between the two armed forces.
Ni said greater communication could reduce China’s concerns about US military action.
