The top U.S. military officer said Friday he has conveyed to China his hopes to resume the stalled communication between the world’s two biggest militaries.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., told a selected group of journalists Friday in Tokyo that it is “hugely important” to “ensure there is no miscalculation” between the sides. He said he conveyed his desire to restart the dialogue in a letter to his Chinese counterpart.
“I’m hopeful,” Brown added.
China froze military exchanges in August 2022 when then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. The two sides have shown indications in recent weeks that they are close to resuming the exchanges.
Brown made his comment during the Tokyo leg of a trip to Asia ahead of next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, to be hosted by President Joe Biden in San Francisco. Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the meeting, the Biden administration announced later Friday.
The U.S.-China relationship has been complicated by U.S. export controls on advanced technology, the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the mainland United States and Chinese fury over a stopover in the U.S. by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier this year.
Pentagon officials say a restoration of military ties, largely severed by Beijing, is crucial to preventing a miscalculation from spiraling into conflict.
“I think there’s an opportunity and … as the President potentially meets with Xi next week, we’re getting indications that there is some interest,” Brown told reporters. “If the opportunity presents itself, I will definitely engage.”
Brown did not specify to whom he sent his letter. But China’s General Liu Zhenli is the Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the military body responsible for China’s combat operations and planning.
Brown said he sent a standard introductory letter that explained, “I’m in the position and willing to open a line of communication.”
U.S. officials have cautioned that even with some restoration of military communications, forging truly functional dialogue between the two sides could take time.
Some analysts say China seeks ambiguity in defense relations to constrain what Beijing sees as U.S. military provocations in the region.
Brown, who was appointed to the post in September, met earlier Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The two sides discussed further strengthening of the allies’ deterrence and response capabilities as the region faces increasing security challenges, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The challenges include “North Korea’s intensified nuclear and missile activities, China’s unilateral change of the status quo by force, enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia around Japan, and arms transfer between Russia and the North,” the statement said.
Kishida’s government adopted a new national security strategy in December, stating Japan’s determination to build up its military power over the next five years. The plans include gaining counterstrike capability by deploying long-range cruise missiles as early as 2026 — a break from Japan’s postwar self-defense-only principle — as deterrence to China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region.
Brown welcomed Japan’s efforts to build up its military. “It’s a bit of a journey,” Brown said. “But the best part about it is first having the desire and the resources and then be willing to work together. We’ll make progress.”
TAIWAN
Brown also said he did not believe that Xi necessarily wanted to take Taiwan by force, while not ruling out the possibility.
Washington and Beijing are at loggerheads over everything from the future of democratically ruled Taiwan to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Diplomatic relations are still recovering after the U.S. downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February.
Brown appeared to downplay Xi’s enthusiasm for a potential invasion of Taiwan, in part given the military difficulty of such an operation. CIA Director William Burns has said Xi has instructed his country’s armed forces to be ready to invade by 2027.
“I do think that Xi Jinping doesn’t necessarily want to take Taiwan by force. He will try to use other ways to do this,” Brown told a small group of reporters. “I also believe that taking Taiwan by force and doing a major amphibious operation is not an easy feat.”
Brown, a former commander of the U.S. Air Force in the Asia-Pacific region, has met People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officials in the past, including the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s northern theatre commander in 2019 during a visit to Seoul.
Liu has emerged as the top contender to replace China’s country’s defense minister, General Li Shangfu, who was dismissed from his position last month. Reuters reported in September that Li was under investigation over suspected corruption related to equipment procurement and development.
Brown acknowledged corruption in the Chinese military when asked about Li’s removal, and broader issues in the PLA, but also noted “alignment with Xi Jinping and his thinking as he continues to consolidate power.”
Li was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for an arms deal he secured with Russia in an earlier role. China had demanded the sanctions – which include a visa ban and prohibitions on conducting U.S. financial transactions – be lifted.
Liu, 59, is not under Western sanctions.
Any decision to improve military-to-military ties would be made by Xi, who has the ultimate say in all important policies and appointments.
Xi is also commander in chief of the armed forces and chairman of the CMC, China’s top defense decision-making body, on which Liu already sits.
