U.S., China defense chiefs to communicate

The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs are likely to meet for their first talks since Beijing suspended dialogue with Washington over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August visit to Taiwan — the latest sign that ties between the two nations are stabilizing.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would welcome a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe during a gathering of defense chiefs in Cambodia, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said Monday in Jakarta.

That would follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent meetings with President Joe Biden and, separately, Vice President Kamala Harris, who remains in the region.

“Secretary Austin has frequently expressed the importance of keeping lines of communication open between the U.S. and China and welcomes the opportunity to meet with his PRC counterpart in Cambodia,” Brig. Gen. Ryder said in a statement, adding that there was nothing formal to announce “at this time.”