U.S. and Chinese military commanders speak by phone for the first time in years

The top U.S. commander in the Indo-Pacific region, Adm. Samuel Paparo, spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wu Yanan, in an effort to rebuild military ties and avoid conflict. This was the first formal conversation between the two commanders in years. During the call, Paparo emphasized the importance of communication to prevent misperceptions and urged China to comply with international laws. Both commanders had a constructive discussion, and the U.S. is also sending a deputy assistant secretary of defense to a high-level security conference in Beijing. President Biden and Chinese leader Xi have also agreed to resume high-level military communications and are planning to speak by phone in the coming weeks.