WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that during his meeting with the Chinese counterpart, both sides had agreed to revive military-to-military communication channels to “deconflict and de-escalate” potential flashpoints.
Hegseth met with China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun on the sidelines of a regional summit in Malaysia, a day after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held talks in South Korea.
“I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree — the relationship between the United States and China has never been better,” Hegseth said in a post on X, adding that he had spoken with Dong again since their face-to-face meeting.
“The Admiral and I agree that peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries,” he said, touting a path of “strength, mutual respect, and positive relations.”
The Pentagon chief said Dong and he “also agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and de-escalate any problems that arise.”
“We have more meetings on that coming soon,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, without providing further details.
According to a Chinese Defence Ministry statement following their meeting in Malaysia, General Dong told Hegseth that the two countries should “strengthen policy-level dialogue to enhance trust and dispel uncertainty” and build a bilateral military relationship based on equality, respect, peaceful coexistence, and stable positive momentum.
Last week, President Trump said that he had agreed to reduce tariffs on China to 47% in exchange for Beijing resuming US soybean purchases, maintaining rare earth exports, and cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade.
Trump’s comments followed a face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea—their first since 2019—concluding a whirlwind Asia trip during which he also highlighted trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian nations.
