Did Beijing and Washington agree on a crisis prevention deal, or not?
Disagreement over how to prevent conflicts could account for differences in how Chinese and US accounts have characterised discussion on the topic during last week’s summit, analysts said. Speaking at a White House arrival ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and “improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.” China’s…
Analysts suggest that disagreements over conflict prevention methods may explain discrepancies between Chinese and US accounts from last week's summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that Chinese and US militaries maintain regular dialogue and "improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention" during a White House arrival ceremony.
China's foreign ministry stated that the militaries had agreed to "conclude a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on crisis communication and prevention as soon as possible." However, the MOU was mentioned separately from the eight other deliverables and understandings reached at the summit, without a specified timeline or location for its creation.
Neither the White House nor President Trump has commented on the proposed mechanisms or the MOU. China's defense ministry did not respond to requests for information.
China's Minister of National Defence Dong Jun did not accompany Xi on the US trip, nor were any senior military officials part of the Chinese delegation. A White House official dismissed China's claim regarding the MOU as inaccurate and undiscussed. Chinese experts suggested that Beijing's remarks may have been intended to establish concrete mechanisms for crisis communication after the two countries agreed on a broader framework earlier in the year.
Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, explained that Xi's proposal could be part of a vision for "a constructive relationship of strategic stability," requiring measures to maintain stability. The MOU could potentially address broader understandings between the militaries to avoid conflict.
Efforts to enhance military-to-military communication have been ongoing, including the establishment of a crisis communication working group between the US and China in 2020. However, no further meetings have taken place. Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel, noted that the 2020 meeting was the first time crisis management was "officially mentioned" in China-US military discussions.
The militaries have rules governing safety during air and maritime encounters since 2014, with the working group reviewing these rules in May. There were also meetings between Chinese and US military leaders in May and late August, indicating some reestablishment of military-to-military contact.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
