he commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, held a video teleconference with Gen. Wu Yanan, the commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command, Sept. 9.
The call was a deliverable from the bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, held Nov. 2023, at which both leaders agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communication between the Department of Defense and the PLA, and to hold conversations between the USINDOPACOM commander and the PLA’s theater commanders.
During the call, Paparo underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the U.S. military and the PLA, noting that such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation.
Citing several recent PLA unsafe interactions with U.S. allies, Paparo reinforced the PLA’s obligation to comply with international laws and norms to ensure operational safety. Paparo also urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond. Gen. Wu and Paparo had a constructive and respectful exchange of views between experienced professionals.
Paparo expressed hope that this discussion with his PLA counterpart would be the first of many such conversations and noted the necessity of continued dialogue on issues of concern with Gen. Wu, as well as with counterparts in other PLA theater commands.
