Chinese, US senior defense officials' talks encouraging, experts say

Chinese experts said it is encouraging to see senior military officials from China and the United States maintaining dialogue despite tensions between the two nations, but China hopes the US can take more concrete actions that are conducive to putting the two nations' ties on the right track.

On Wednesday, State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a telephone call proposed by the US. The dialogue followed a videoconference between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on March 18.

It was the first time the two military officials have spoken to each other since Austin took office over a year ago, and it has been nearly 21 months since a Chinese defense minister last talked with his US counterpart.