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On the afternoon of 12 April, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, director of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense and spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, issued a message on recent military-related issues.
Reporter: In early April, President Xi Jinping had a phone call with US President Joe Biden at the request, and the two sides agreed to advance the consultation mechanism in areas such as diplomacy and communication between the two militaries. China and the United States recently held a working group meeting of the Maritime Military Security Consultative Mechanism, and US media analysis said that this marked the resumption of maritime military dialogue between the two sides. Do you have any comment, and what activities will the two militaries hold in the next step?
Question: In early April, President Xi Jinping had a phone call with US President Joe Biden at the request of the latter. The two leaders agreed to advance consultation mechanisms in diplomatic and other fields as well as mil-to-mil communication. Recently, China and the US held the Maritime Military Consultative Agreement (MMCA) working group meeting, which, according to US media, symbolizes the resumption of bilateral maritime military dialogue. What’s your comment on this? What other activities will the two sides hold?
Wu Qian: Recently, President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden at the invitation of the United States, during which they had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and issues of common concern, charting the course for the development of relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Since the beginning of the year, China and the United States have successfully held the 17th China-US Defense Defense Meeting to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and have steadily advanced the work related to the search for the remains of US military personnel who disappeared in China during World War II. On April 3 and 4, the Chinese and US militaries held the 2024 China-US Maritime Military Security Consultative Mechanism Working Group Meeting in Hawaii, USA. On the basis of equality and respect, the two sides had positive and constructive exchanges on the current China-US maritime and air security situation, assessed the implementation of the China-US Code of Conduct for the Safety of Maritime and Air Encounters since the 2021 China-US Maritime Military Security Consultative Mechanism Meeting, and discussed measures to improve China-US maritime military security issues.
Wu Qian: Recently, President Xi Jinping spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone at the request of the US side. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and issues of common interest, charting the course for the development of state-to-state and mil-to-mil relations between China and the US. To implement the important consensus of the two presidents, since the beginning of this year, the two sides have successfully held the 17th Defense Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT), and made steady progress in searching for the remains of missing US military personnel in China during WWII. From April 3 to 4, Chinese and US military officials held the 2024 MMCA working group meeting in Hawaii. On the basis of equality and respect, the two sides had positive and constructive discussions on the current air and maritime safety and security situation between them, and evaluated the execution of the Rules of Behavior for Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters (ROB) since the MMCA in 2021. They also discussed measures to improve military maritime safety and security between the two countries.
In the next step, we hope that the US and China will work in the same direction, strengthen dialogue in a respectful manner, manage differences in a prudent manner, promote cooperation in a spirit of mutual benefit, promote the stable development of the relations between the two militaries, and continuously raise positive expectations for the relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Regarding other specific exchange projects, the defense departments of the two countries are maintaining communication and coordination, and we will release information in due course.
Going forward, we hope that the US side can work with the Chinese side in the same direction, strengthen dialogue in a mutually respectful way, manage differences prudently, and advance cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit, so as to promote a stable mil-to-mil relationship and increase positive expectations about bilateral ties. As for other specific exchange programs, the defense authorities of the two countries are in communication and coordination with each other. We will release relevant information in due course.
Produced by China Military Network WeChat (zgjw_81).
Author: Chen Lei, Wu Mingqi, Lin Congyi
Editor: Wu Mingqi Chai Xiao