PLA sends South China Sea commander to US for first time in over 2 years

Chinese General Wu Yanan attended Indo-Pacific defence meeting in Hawaii and had ‘candid exchange of views’ with US Admiral Samuel Paparo

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General Wu Yanan, the PLA commander responsible for the South China Sea, visited the US for the annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference last week. Photo: Weibo/野马共和

Published: 9:00pm, 24 Sep 2024Updated: 9:38pm, 24 Sep 2024

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 on Monday confirmed that General Wu Yanan, who heads the PLA Southern Theatre Command, held a meeting with US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Paparo during the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Hawaii last week.

It follows a video call between the commanders earlier this month, as the two militaries start 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”, the Chinese ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said Paparo had “underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA to reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation”.

US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Paparo “underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA”. Photo: US Navy

The annual gathering of Indo-Pacific defence chiefs took place from Wednesday to Friday last week. Wu led the Chinese delegation to Hawaii, holding bilateral talks and exchanges with representatives of other nations including Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and France.