China US Photo:VCG

The commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command attended a defense chiefs conference in Hawaii last week, meeting with representatives from the US and the Philippines, among other countries. 

Experts said on Monday that the move is conducive to reducing risks of a conflict with the US or the Philippines amid tensions in the South China Sea.

At the invitation from the US, Wu Ya'nan, commander of the PLA Southern Theater Command, led a delegation to attend the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference in Hawaii from September 18 to 20, where he engaged in bilateral meetings and interactions with representatives from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, France and the US, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

During his meeting with Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Wu exchanged candid and in-depth views on implementing consensus reached by the two heads of state and on issues of mutual concern, according to the press release.

It marked the second exchange between Wu and Paparo this month, and the first face-to-face meeting. On September 10, they had a video teleconference in which they exchanged views on issues of mutual concern.

The face-to-face meeting by senior officers in charge of two major Chinese and US theaters is conducive to reducing misunderstandings and misjudgments of the frontline forces at sea and in the air in the South China Sea as well as risks of maritime and aerial accidents, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

It will also help the healthy and stable development of China-US military ties, Zhang said.

The meeting between Chinese and Philippine military officers showed that the two sides are willing to maintain communication channels, which can also prevent misunderstandings and misjudgments amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, Zhang said.

Another Chinese military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times that a senior Chinese officer's attendance in a conference organized by the US showed China's sincerity in managing and controlling differences through talks, and the US' invitation showed that the US does not want to have unintended military frictions with China either.

While there remains issues and differences to be worked out, having talks is better than not having talks, the expert said.