Joint Chiefs chair speaks to Chinese counterpart after months of silence

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr. spoke with his Chinese counterpart Thursday, ending months of silence between the two superpowers through military communication channels.

Brown spoke over a virtual video conference with China Chief of the Joint Staff Department Gen. Liu Zhenli about the importance of maintaining open lines of communication, according to a readout of the call.

Brown reiterated that it was vital to maintain military communications to avoid miscalculations and manage competition between the two nations responsibly. The leaders also talked about global conflicts and national security issues.

The call marks the first time Brown, the nation’s highest ranking military officer, has spoken to his counterpart in China since he was confirmed to the position in September.

It follows a meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, which saw the two leaders pledge to maintain open lines of communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation in the Indo-Pacific.

China cut off military-to-military communication channels with the U.S. following an August 2022 visit from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan.

Pelosi’s stopover in Taiwan prompted unprecedented Chinese military drills and infuriated Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the island nation and has long bristled at U.S. support for Taipei.

The breakoff of military communications heightened the possibility for tensions in the Indo-Pacific to soar out of control in the event of a mishap. Along with Taiwan, the U.S. and China are at odds over Beijing’s sovereign claims across the South China Sea, where Chinese and American pilots have veered near each other in risky incidents.