Hegseth says US, China to set up direct military communication

On Saturday, Hegseth called on Southeast Asia to strengthen maritime cooperation to counter what he said was worsening aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea.

The US and China have agreed to establish direct communication between their militaries to help avoid conflict, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The purpose of the communication channels will be to “deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise,” Hegseth said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The two countries have agreed that “peace, stability, and good relations are the best path,” he said.

Officials from both nations will hold discussions to work out the details of how they’ll communicate, Hegseth said.

The Pentagon chief and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met in Kuala Lumpu on Friday, a day after President Donald Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea, where the two leaders agreed to a landmark trade truce in a bid stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies.

On Saturday, Hegseth called on Southeast Asia to strengthen maritime cooperation to counter what he said was worsening aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea.