The top military officials of the United States and China have engaged in a conversation for the first time in over a year.

 The top U.S. military officer engaged in a virtual meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, according to the Pentagon. This marks the first such conversation in over a year, and there are hopes among U.S. officials that it could pave the way for a broader restoration of ties between the two militaries. The video teleconference follows an agreement between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to resume military-to-military ties. These ties were severed by Beijing in response to a visit to self-ruled Taiwan by then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022.

U.S. Air Force General CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Liu Zhenli of China's People’s Liberation Army engaged in discussions covering "a number of global and regional security issues," as reported by Brown's office. General Liu holds the position of Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), overseeing China's combat operations and planning.

Pentagon officials emphasize the importance of communication between the two militaries to prevent potential miscalculations that could escalate into conflict. These talks represent a significant step in resuming military-to-military ties between the United States and China.According to Gen. Brown's office, during the virtual meeting, General Brown emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts to responsibly manage competition, prevent miscalculations, and uphold open and direct lines of communication. Brown reiterated the importance of the People's Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue as a means to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings between the two military forces.

It was mentioned that General Brown had previously sent an introductory letter to General Liu, expressing his openness to a meeting. This reflects an ongoing effort to foster dialogue and understanding between the U.S. and Chinese military leadership.