Pentagon holds talks with Chinese military for first time under Biden

A seniorPentagonofficialheldtalkswith theChinesemilitaryfor thefirsttimesince PresidentJoeBidentook office in January to focus on managing risk between the two countries, a US officialtold Reuters on Friday.

The United States has put countering China at the heart of its national security policy for years andBiden's administration has described rivalry with Beijing as "the biggest geopolitical test" of this century.

Relations between China and the United States have grown increasingly tense, with the world's two largest economies clashing over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to itsmilitaryactivity in the South China Sea.

Despite the tensions and heated rhetoric, US militaryofficials have long sought to have open lines of communication with theirChinesecounterparts to be able to mitigate potential flare-ups or deal with any accidents.

Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, spoke last week withChineseMajor General Huang Xueping, deputy director for the People's Liberation Army Office for InternationalMilitaryCooperation.

"(They) utilised the U.S.-PRC Defence Telephone Link to conduct a secure video conference," the US officialsaid, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the two militaries," theofficialadded.

Officials said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has yet to speak with hisChinesecounterpart, in part because there was a debate about whichChineseofficialwas Austin's counterpart.

Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday that the United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing, but will speak up on issues such as maritimedisputes in the South China Sea.

China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contains gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

Bidenhas ramped up sanctions on China over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

In a shift from his predecessor as president, Donald Trump,Bidenhas broadly sought to rally allies and partners to help counter what the White House says is China's increasingly coercive economic and foreign policies.