Chinese, US theatre commanders talk for first time since 2022 row over Pelosi Taiwan trip

China and the United States have held the first video call between their theatre commanders in more than two years amid tensions in the South China Sea.

Wu Yanan, commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, and Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, held a video call on Tuesday morning to “have an in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern”, China’s defence ministry said.

Senior officials from both countries have said on several occasions they could resume communication mechanisms at the theatre command level.

The resumption of such dialogue was also part of the consensus reached at a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in San Francisco in November.