Pentagon—

U.S. and Chinese defense officials met this week for the first time in nearly two years to discuss unsafe and aggressive incidents involving ships and aircraft in the Pacific.

The talks, held in Hawaii from Wednesday to Thursday, marked the resumption of talks that ended abruptly with China after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Taiwan is an island claimed by China.

Chinese officials have criticized U.S. support for Taiwan as interference.

U.S. officials said the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) working group reviewed security-related incidents over the past few years and discussed ways to maintain operational security and professionalism between China and the United States.

“We have observed a decrease in insecurity between us and the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] A U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the meeting before its conclusion.

“The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific region as permitted by international law, and we take that responsibility seriously. Open, direct, and clear communication with the People’s Liberation Army and all other military forces in the region is critical to avoiding incidents and Miscommunication is critical,” Army Col. Ian Francis, head of the U.S. delegation, said in a press release.

Last November, US President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. About a month later, General Brown, the top U.S. military officer, held a video call with the Chinese military, the first high-level military contact since Pelosi visited Taiwan.

Officials said this week’s meeting involved about 18 senior officials from both sides.

Beijing has said it wants to control access to the South China Sea and use force if necessary to bring Taiwan under its control. Biden said U.S. troops would defend the island of democracy from attack.

Following Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022, the Chinese military has stepped up aggressive actions around Taiwan—warships and aircraft have repeatedly crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait—and fired missiles over Taiwan and Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs Ely Ratner testified in October 2023 that Chinese aircraft have conducted more than 180 reckless interceptions of U.S. military aircraft in the past two years, more than U.S. officials have seen throughout history. There are even more interceptions. ten years ago.

“When you consider the PLA’s cases of coercive and dangerous interceptions against other countries, the number of cases against U.S., allied and partner aircraft has increased to nearly 300 in the past two years,” Ratner said.

In one instance, a Chinese pilot flew within 3 meters (9.8 feet) of a U.S. Air Force B-52 aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea.