President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to succeed Army Gen. Mark A. Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Credit: U.S. Airforce)

-DIPLOMATIC   TIMES  STAFF

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. held talks Thursday with his Chinese military counterpart, People’s Liberation Army Gen. Liu Zhenli, aimed at improving closer communications on security issues, the Pentagon said.   It was the first high-level dialogue between the two country’s top military leaders in more than a year. The two military leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues, according to the Pentagon.

“Gen. Brown discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication. Gen. Brown reiterated the importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings,” according to a readout from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.    China broke off direct military contacts with U.S. forces in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit in August 2022 to Taiwan. Defense officials have expressed concern in what they view as a “steep rise in China’s risky and aggressive intercepts” of U.S. aircraft operating in international airspace in accordance with international law.  According to the most recent China Military Power Report, the U.S. has documented more than 180 “coercive” and risky air intercepts against U.S. aircraft in the region between 2021 and 2023. 

Gen. Brown was confirmed by the Senate in September as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ending a months long holdup by Sen. Tommy Tuberville.  The Alabama Republican senator initiated the hold to protest the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing troops who must travel to obtain abortions or other reproductive care.