China and US agree to accelerate military crisis communication

While details of the military crisis communication agreement remain unclear, both sides aim to improve dialogue and prevent miscalculation. China's Foreign Ministry stated that the countries' militaries agreed to conclude a memorandum of understanding on crisis communication and prevention "as soon as possible." The ministry also noted that the talks produced eight other "deliverables and understandings," including cooperation on trade, artificial intelligence, and counternarcotics.

This renewed military communication follows contact between senior U.S. and Chinese military commanders. Admiral Samuel Paparo, the senior U.S. commander in the Indo-Pacific, met General Yang Zhibin, commander of the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, in late August. This meeting marked the first theater-level contact between the two countries in two years, with the officials discussing maintaining communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation.