The Pentagon wrapped up two days of crisis-working-group calls with Chinese defense officials Thursday in an effort to prevent a misunderstanding that could lead to war.
“The meeting provided an opportunity to build mutual understanding between the U.S. military and the People’s Liberation Army,” a Pentagon statement read.
The U.S.-hosted effort aims to prevent a crisis and reduce risk to forces.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper frequently accuses China of aggressive actions in the Pacific, and he has moved assets ranging from aircraft carriers to bombers into territory claimed by China as a show of force and a U.S. rejection of China’s extra-territorial claims.
“China is behaving and acting in ways inimical to our long-term interests,” Esper said at an event earlier this month hosted by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
“They are seeking to overturn the international rules-based order, the expected norms, if you will, of behavior.
“China aims to dominate Asia if not at some point in time to have outsized influence globally.”
Esper has also tried to use potentially his last months at the helm of the Department of Defense to firm up partnerships across the Pacific while still establishing crisis communications protocols to prevent war with China.
In August, he spent a week shoring up and adding to America’s Pacific allies. This week, he traveled to India, signing new defense agreements with the Asian country that recently had a border spat with China.
Earlier this summer, Esper made the hopeful announcement that he planned to visit China before the year was through.
At the time, he explained that maintaining engagement with America’s peer adversaries was crucial to maintaining peace.
“We are not in search of conflict,” Esper said at a July 14 webinar hosted by the London International Institute for Strategic Studies.
“I personally have spoken to my PRC counterpart on multiple occasions, and before the year is out, I hope to visit the PRC for the first time as secretary,” he said. “We are committed to a constructive and results-oriented relationship with China and within our defense relationship, to open lines of communication and risk reduction.”
