U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed concerns about Beijing's 'destabilizing' activity near Taiwan and the South China Sea in a call with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon said on Thursday, the first time the two are believed to have spoken since March.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper listens during a news conference at the U.S. Department of State following the 30th AUSMIN in Washington, D.C. July 28, 2020. Brendan Smialowski/Pool via REUTERS
The call came as U.S.-China ties have rapidly deteriorated this year over a range of issues, including Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus, telecommunications equipment maker Huawei [HWT.UL], China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clamp-down on Hong Kong. A separate Pentagon statement said both sides agreed on “developing the systems necessary for crisis communications and risk reduction.”
The United States has long opposed China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea and has sent warships regularly through the strategic waterway.
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