U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Emphasizes 'Military Communication Channel' to China's North America Affairs Diplomat

Ely Ratner, U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, met with Yang Tao, Director-General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is visiting the United States, to discuss regional security issues and other matters related to the two countries.

Yang Tao, Director of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
[Photo by Reuters]

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense stated on the 2nd (local time), "Deputy Assistant Secretary Ely Ratner held talks with Director-General Yang today," adding that both sides "discussed U.S.-China defense relations and regional security issues." The spokesperson explained, "The Deputy Assistant Secretary also emphasized the Department of Defense's continued commitment to keeping military-to-military communication channels between the U.S. and China open."

So far, the U.S. has repeatedly urged China to restore military-to-military communication channels, citing their necessity to prevent accidental clashes, but China has yet to respond.

Director-General Yang met with Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at the State Department the previous day, where Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink officially invited Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, to visit the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.