US and Chinese military officials meet in Beijing

Top Chinese and US defense officials met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss reducing the risk of confrontation, hoping to seek greater cooperation and trust, The New York Times reported.

The 12th round of US-China Defense Consultative Talks come after recent friction between the countries over arms sales to Taiwan and an increased armed forces presence on China’s border, the Associated Press reported. It also comes after a year of Chinese military expansion, with a new aircraft carrier and carrier jet, a new stealth fighter jet and other advanced weapons were introduced, The Times reported.

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But the decision to proceed with the talks appears to show China is placing a new importance on regular correspondence between the countries, caught in the midst of a rivalry, the AP reported.

“We attach great value to this platform to enhance communication, to expand common ground, to promote mutual understanding, to manage and control risks and to avoid miscalculation, this maintaining the stability of our military-to-military relationship,” Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the People’s Liberation Army’s deputy chief of staff, said, the AP reported.

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Also present was the lead American official, undersecretary of defense for policy Michèle Flournoy, who expressed hope that both defenses could “agree on issues and interests that the two sides share,” The Times reported.

While the Taiwan arms sale created another rift between China and the US, neither country referenced it during the talks. When the sale was made in September, China called on the US ambassador and warned of damage relations, The Times reported.

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