Chinese military commander overseeing Taiwan operations meets U.S. PACOM chief
PACOM chief Adm. Sam Paparo recently held his first in-person talks with Gen. Yang Zhibin, commander of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command.
U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) chief Adm. Sam Paparo met with Chinese military commander Gen. Yang Zhibin overseeing Taiwan operations on the sidelines of an Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference in Canada on Aug. 31, amid rising tensions. The two leaders discussed maintaining open communication channels to reduce the risk of miscalculation and promote safe cooperation.
PACOM emphasized its commitment to enhancing regional stability through security cooperation, peaceful development, contingency response, and deterring aggression. The Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed the meeting and said Yang had also held bilateral talks with representatives from France, Singapore and other nations during the conference.
They presented their military's stance on regional peace and stability, advocating for strengthened defense exchanges and cooperation to address common challenges. This meeting occurred just weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 24, as Taiwan remains a highly sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations.
China claims the island as its own and threatens to use force if necessary. The U.S. supports Taiwan's self-defense with billions in weapons sales, despite not having diplomatic relations. Recent Chinese moves east of Taiwan have raised concerns about potential blockade or quarantine, aimed at establishing jurisdiction and countering cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
