Senior US and Chinese defence officials met in Washington this week in the latest sign of renewed military-to-military communication as the two countries seek to stabilise ties.
Alvaro Smith, a deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the Pentagon, met with China’s Major General Ye Jiang, Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, for the 19th annual US-China Defence Policy Coordination Talks from December 15 to 16, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
That was the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries’ defence chiefs during the second term of the Donald Trump administration.China’s Minister of National Defence, Admiral Dong Jun, attends the Asean meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 31, 2025. Photo: AFP
After those talks, Hegseth said the two countries had agreed to “set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and de-escalate any problems that arise”.
