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The United States and China will hold a second round of high-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington on Friday to show their willingness to continue their communications in the face of rising tensions in the South China Sea and the Strait. from Taiwan.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis will welcome Yang Jiechi, Director of China's Foreign Affairs Bureau, and his Minister of National Defense, Wei Fenghe, as well as new delegations from both sides.
The talks come as tensions between the two countries are exacerbated. A previous scheduled debate in September between the two defense ministers had been canceled due to Beijing's frustration with China's sanction of Washington for buying a Russian weapon system.
The announcement of a new dialogue indicates that both parties are willing to reduce the risk of miscalculation due to high tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
In the past two months, the US military has flown B-52 bombers and conducted "freedom of navigation" operations in the vicinity of the South China Sea. US warships crossed the Taiwan Strait to support Taiwan, the autonomous island. that Beijing considers a renegade province.
Nearly two weeks ago, President Xi Jinping asked the military section to monitor Taiwan and the South China Sea to "prepare for war," while Wei promised that the continent would not give way. "An inch" of its territory.
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"China is irritated by what we are doing," said General Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff. "But again, we try to explain to them that there is a rules-based international order and that we are talking about a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the norms and standards of international law."
Dunford said the two armies had established a dialogue between staff members in August 2017 with the aim of establishing a routine contact. Beyond that, "the Chinese have been reluctant," he said.
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However, the Pentagon's general-in-chief said the two sides were in communication to reduce potential misunderstandings. "About four months ago," said Dunford, "we have organized a tabletop exercise to talk about a potential crisis as a confidence building measure and, again, to increase transparency and transparency. reduce the risk of miscalculation. "
Susan Thornton, the former US diplomat for East Asia, urged Washington and Beijing to build trust through "consistent and mature communications" to avoid a military accident.
At a press conference last Thursday, US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson also called on China to return to a previously agreed code of conduct for clashes at sea.
The US Admiral spoke at the end of September about a case in which American and Chinese warships nearly collided as they sailed near an island claimed by Beijing in the Spratly Islands.
The Chinese ship arrived within 41 meters (135 feet) of the American ship, which led the Pentagon to accuse the Navy of ALP of conducting an aggressive maneuver of "dangerous and unprofessional maneuver".
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