A New 'Communication Channel' to Discuss Sensitive Issues Between the US and China Will Be Established

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Major foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg, reported that the United States and China will establish new communication channels to discuss sensitive issues in their bilateral relations.

According to major foreign media on the 6th, the two countries plan to create new working groups to address Asia-Pacific issues, maritime issues, and broader topics. This is interpreted as an effort to prevent unexpected military conflicts between the US and China in areas such as the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.

In the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, the risk of conflict is considered high as the US conducts "freedom of navigation" operations by dispatching warships and military aircraft to waters claimed by China, while China carries out "shows of force." Especially, with Lai Ching-te, the vice president and the next presidential candidate of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), scheduled to transit through the US during his visit to Paraguay in mid-June, there are forecasts that tensions in the Taiwan Strait may escalate again.

Ultimately, following US Secretary of State Tony Blinken's visit to China in June and the resumption of high-level talks between the two countries, concrete efforts are underway to secure so-called "guardrails" to prevent military clashes between the two nations.

China experts expect that issues such as economic and trade matters and climate change response will be discussed at the working group level. They also anticipate that topics like the South China Sea, defense and security issues, cybersecurity, and US technology regulations on China could be on the agenda. However, the Taiwan issue is expected to be excluded from the discussions.

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