The decision was taken to resume military contacts between the two countries following negotiations between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last November.
The official explained that today’s call is the first between the defense ministers of the two countries in more than a year, and Austin’s first call with Dong Jun since his appointment as Minister of Defense in China late last year.
The resumption of communications came after a hiatus that lasted nearly a year and a half, as a result of the visit of former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan in 2022.