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Exclusive | China, US set for meeting of top military officials amid Taiwan tensions
- Telephone call in January being considered after consensus was reached during Xi-Biden summit on setting up discussions, sources say
- Arms control predicted to be among the main topics of discussion in the proposed talks
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China and the US are preparing for a meeting between their top military officials amid rising tensions over Taiwan and an arms race over the most lethal hypersonic weapons.
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Following last month’s virtual call between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, the two militaries have been in touch to discuss the possibility of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin holding talks with Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, according to people familiar with the matter.
“It is one of the consensuses reached during the Xi-Biden summit,” one of them said. “The two leaders have ordered the militaries to discuss the arrangements.”
The format and details of the dialogue is yet to be finalised, but a source said that a telephone call or virtual conference in early January was being considered.
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US ‘deeply concerned’ despite China denying it recently tested hypersonic nuclear missile
US ‘deeply concerned’ despite China denying it recently tested hypersonic nuclear missile
US military officials have sought to maintain an open line of communication with their Chinese counterparts to prevent potential flare-ups. But for a long time, chances for talks have been scarce because the two sides have not been able to agree on which Chinese official was Austin’s counterpart.
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