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US-China relations
ChinaMilitary

Xi-Biden talks help restore US-China defence dialogues – but security disputes won’t go away, say analysts

  • ‘People shouldn’t have great hopes’ that return to military interactions will eliminate risks or miscalculations, policy expert says
  • Observers say renewed communication channels cannot fix fundamental disagreements on issues such as military conduct in South China Sea

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The US and Chinese governments have welcomed the return of military-to-military talks as an improvement to tense ties. Photo: Reuters
Jack Lau
Defence dialogues between Beijing and Washington have been restored following a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden near San Francisco on Wednesday.
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However, analysts were less optimistic that these lines of communication could resolve deep-seated disagreements between China and the US on security in the Asia-Pacific.
Disagreements over Taiwan and US sanctions against Beijing’s former defence minister have suspended these lines of communication for more than a year.

Beijing halted telephone calls between theatre commanders as well as meetings to coordinate defence policy and discuss maritime safety after then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi led a US delegation to Taiwan in August 2022.

The trip angered Beijing, which said the visit showed clear American support for Taiwanese independence advocates.

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Xi Jinping, Joe Biden hold talks on sidelines of Apec summit to ease strained US-China ties

Xi Jinping, Joe Biden hold talks on sidelines of Apec summit to ease strained US-China ties

The US and Chinese defence chiefs have also not talked since November 2022. Beijing said formal meetings were impossible without Washington lifting its sanctions against Li Shangfu, who served as China’s defence minister from March until his unexplained removal in October. Washington said the sanctions did not prevent any such meetings.

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