Talks between the Chinese military and a senior Pentagon official recently took place last week, an unnamed US official revealed to Reuters.

This marks the first official talks between the two country’s military representatives since Joe Biden took office in January.

Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, spoke with Chinese Major General Huang Xueping, deputy director for the People's Liberation Army Office for International Military Cooperation.

Reuters noted that the US-PRC Defense Telephone Link, a highly secure communication channel, was utilized to conduct a secure video conference.

"Both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the two militaries,” stated the official.

On the other hand, US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin has not yet spoken with his Chinese counterpart, due to the uncertainty of which Chinese official was in fact his counterpart.

Clash of Titans

The world’s two largest economies, China and the US have been clashing for decades over a multitude of issues. 

Relations between both nations have grown truly strained in recent years notably as the US is trying to deflate China’s competitive capabilities. 

Another point of contention is the US meddling in the already-conflicted region of the South China Sea, notably as it is crossed by essential shipping lanes while containing rich fishing grounds and gas fields.

Additionally, the US interference in China’s internal affairs, notably the Honk Kong protests and the attempt to impose sanctions on Chinese officials, exhausted most of China’s diplomatic goodwill. 

Describing the rivalry with China as the “Biggest geopolitical test” of this century, the current US administration has put countering Beijing's economic expansion at the heart of its national security policy.