U.S. and China resume military meetings as diplomatic thaw continues

The U.S. and China resumed a defense dialog aimed at preventing an inadvertent clash, part of a broader push to resume contacts up and down the chain of command that were severed as tensions spiked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea in recent years.

The talks between China’s People’s Liberation Army, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Pacific Fleet addressed what the two sides call military interactions of concern. Officials met Wednesday and Thursday in Honolulu.

"Open, direct and clear communications with the PLA — and with all other military forces in the region — is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication,” Army Col. Ian Francis, the head of the U.S. delegation, said in a statement.