U.S., China Sign Military Agreement To Improve On Communication
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, second from left, and Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Gen. Fang Fenghui, second from right, sign an agreement at the Bayi Building in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, to strengthen communication between the two militaries amid tensions concerning North Korea. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
August 15, 2017
The U.S. and China agree to improve military communication between the countries.
While in Beijing on Tuesday, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and his Chinese counterpart signed a military-to-military dialogue mechanism.
It will focus on sensitive issues like North Korea, and working out tensions like Beijing’s anger over U.S. patrols near the South China Sea as well as support for Taiwan.
The U.S. cited concern over unsafe intercepts of its aircraft by China, and a lack of transparency in military spending.
Even though the sides agreed to establish a line of communication several years ago, it never went into operation.
U.S. officials say they attempted to use it, but the Chinese side never answered their requests.
