China’s ambassador to the U.S. on Thursday met with Ely Ratner—an assistant secretary of defense and Washington’s top defense official for Asia.
The two officials talked about defense plus “a range of international and regional security issues,” according to the Pentagon
Beijing’s refusal of open military communication in recent months was the main point of contention
While on the Chinese side, Ambassador Xie Feng requested that Washington “take action to remove obstacles, manage differences, and handle Taiwan and other sensitive issues cautiously.”
Experts pointed out it’s unusual for the Chinese ambassador to talk directly with senior U.S. officials. Hinting that Beijing could be trying to respond to U.S. objections over the lack of defense talks.
Though for now, no new lines of communication appear to have opened between the superpowers.