Abroad
US, China to set up direct military communication: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for the two countries, he wrote.
November 02, 2025, 07:09 PM
The U.S. and China have agreed that they should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems, said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a post on X.
This comes after the "historic" meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and China president Xi Jinping in South Korea on Oct. 30.
The two leaders of the world's two largest economies agreed to a one-year trade truce at the meeting, in efforts to stabilise relations.
I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree — the relationship between the United States and China has never been better. Following President Trump’s historic meeting with Chairman Xi in South Korea, I had an equally positive meeting with my counterpart, China’s Minister of…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 1, 2025
Hegseth said he had an "equally positive meeting" with his counterpart, China’s Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia on Oct. 31.
Both agreed that "peace, stability, and good relations" are the best path for the two countries, wrote Hegseth, who is also referred to as the U.S. War Secretary.
The two countries will have more meetings coming soon on how they will communicate, Hegseth added.
Just earlier on Nov. 1, Hegseth had called on Southeast Asia nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilising” actions in the South China Sea.
Top photos from Pete Hegseth/Facebook and AFP
