Nayan Seth in Washington and Han Li in Washington, DC
A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday said US-China military communication was “stronger than it has been in years”, marking a rare bright spot in the broader strategic rivalry between the world’s two most powerful countries .
“Under the leadership of Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, we are actively repairing a once broken military-to-military channel and making clear, steady progress,” said Alvaro Smith, deputy assistant defence secretary for China, Taiwan and Mongolia.
He made the remarks during a reception at the Chinese embassy in Washington celebrating the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army – one of few such occasions attended by a senior Pentagon official in recent years.
Smith also said Washington was not seeking “conflict with China” and hoped to maintain a “peaceful” and “respectful” bilateral relationship.
“The department has embraced a new approach to our military relationship – one built on candid, respectful, clear conversations with genuine interest in de-escalation, while continuing to advance our nation’s priorities,” he said.
“This is how two powerful militaries should engage, and over the last year and a half, we made this a reality.”