China, US may unveil measures to boost military ties when Xi visits Washington

China and the United States are discussing possible announcements to strengthen military-to-military ties during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington next week, multiple sources familiar with the discussions told the South China Morning Post.

Another item that is being discussed, and a possible deliverable, is restarting the arms-control talks that were suspended in 2024 over US weapons sales to Taiwan, with the dialogue potentially including military personnel.

Sources said both sides were discussing ways to activate more military communication channels and bolster the existing ones – marking a rare bright spot in an otherwise fiercely competitive relationship.

They said officials in the two militaries were interacting at various levels, with the frequency and level of engagement increasing substantially in the past few months.