After more than a year, Pentagon chief Austin, Chinese military counterpart speak by phone

After more than a year of no direct formal contact, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday spoke on the telephone with his military counterpart in China, a nation he has repeatedly characterized as the “pacing challenge” for U.S. forces.

In a brief, two-sentence statement, Pentagon officials said the approximately 45-minute long discussion between Mr. Austin and Gen. Wei Fenghe, Beijing’s Minister of National Defense, was a follow-up to a recent call between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Secretary Austin and General Wei discussed [U.S.-Chinese] defense relations, regional security issues and Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said. China has refused to criticize Moscow’s decision to invade and its official press has said aggressive U.S. and NATO policies in recent years are the “root cause” of the fighting.

Later in the day, a senior Defense Department official declined to elaborate on what the two men talked about. 

“It was a good first conversation between the secretary and the minister,” the official said. “It happened now because we were able to arrange the schedule for both leaders to speak today.”

The Global Times, a newspaper that operates under China’s Communist Party, said Gen. Wei essentially read out a list of demands to Mr. Austin. Among them: The U.S. shouldn’t seek a new Cold War with China, attempt to change China’s government, create alliances targeting China and should reject any moves to recognize Taiwan’s independence.

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According to the Global Times, Mr. Austin told Gen. Wei the U.S. remains committed to the one-China policy and is willing to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the military forces of both nations “with a sincere and open attitude.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, defense secretary until the final weeks of the Trump administration, was the last Pentagon chief to speak with his Chinese counterpart prior to Wednesday’s call.