On Tuesday morning, September 10th, in Beijing time, a video call was held between US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo and Southern Theater Command Commander of the Chinese Communist Party, Wu Yanan. The purpose of the call was to stabilize military relations between the US and China and prevent misjudgments. The US side also urged China to abide by international laws and norms, warning them to “reconsider” the dangerous tactics used in the South China Sea and other regions.
The US Indo-Pacific Command stated that the call was “constructive and mutually respectful,” while emphasizing that Paparo highlighted several recent unsafe interactions between the Chinese military and US allies, urging the Chinese military to uphold international laws and norms to ensure safety in operations.
Paparo also warned the Chinese military to reconsider the use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and other regions.
A statement from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense was brief, mentioning that the two sides had “in-depth exchanges of views on issues of common concern.”
During the call, Paparo emphasized the importance of ongoing communication between the US and Chinese militaries’ senior leaders, stating that such discussions help clarify intentions and reduce the risk of misunderstandings or misjudgments.
Last month, US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan visited Beijing and met with Vice Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia. Both sides agreed that leaders of the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Chinese Southern Theater Command would engage in telephone conversations. The Southern Theater Command covers the southern waters of China.
The US Indo-Pacific Command is responsible for areas including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, both of which are hotspots in the regional tension and sensitive focal points in US-China relations.
In August 2022, then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, marking the first visit by a US Speaker of the House in 25 years. Subsequently, China shut down the military communication channel between the US and China.
Senior military officials from both countries have held several meetings this year, including a brief meeting in May between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe at the Shangri-La Dialogue. However, the call between military commanders in the Indo-Pacific region is the first of its kind between the US and China.
Since early last year, China has been harassing Philippine navy ships and other government vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea, with the level of violence escalating. While the conflicts are led by the Chinese coast guard, Chinese naval vessels are often present nearby.
In one of the most serious incidents, a Chinese coast guard vessel rammed, towed, and sunk a Philippine supply ship near Ren’ai Reef, a coral reef within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone where the Philippines has a military outpost.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cautioned in May that if any Filipino citizens were to die in such conflicts, it would constitute an act of war as defined by the government. The US stated that the Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines covers the South China Sea and coast guard ships.
Paparo expressed his hope for more discussions with the Chinese military on these matters.
On September 5th, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, in an online interview with Foreign Policy magazine, expressed concerns about the “aggressiveness” of Chinese military development, as well as the “aggressive and intimidating behavior” of the Chinese navy towards US allies like the Philippines and Japan.
He stated that the US and China are engaged in a structural competition, including in military, economic, and technological fields, and that this competition will remain structural and intense in the coming decades. Therefore, he emphasized the need to manage this relationship in a way that defends US national interests while avoiding conflicts.