Beijing says US, China to pursue military crisis-communication pact

China and the United States have agreed to pursue a new military crisis-communication pact following the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, according to Beijing, potentially giving commanders another mechanism for managing dangerous encounters across the Indo-Pacific.

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the two militaries had agreed to conclude a memorandum of understanding on “crisis communication and prevention” as soon as possible.

The two militaries already have consultation arrangements and senior communication channels. The Chinese announcement did not explain whether the proposed memorandum would create a new hotline, establish procedures for using existing connections or define which incidents would trigger crisis consultations.

That distinction could determine whether the agreement proves useful during an actual confrontation. Previous periods of improved military contact have been interrupted by political disputes, while formal communication mechanisms have not always produced timely exchanges during crises.