Cynthia “Xanthi” Carras, the Pentagon’s principal director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, met Senior Colonel Wang Wei of the People’s Liberation Army’s Office of International Military Cooperation in Washington on November 2 and 3 for the annual Crisis Communications and Prevention Working Group. The two sides agreed on the importance of advancing practical communication measures to reduce risks between the United States and China, and discussed additional channels to promote effective crisis management and ways to communicate expediently. The department said it will continue to advance discussions with the PLA on key defence issues in the coming months.
US and China hold annual crisis communications talks in Washington
US and Chinese military officials held their annual Crisis Communications and Prevention Working Group in Washington on November 2 and 3, and agreed on the importance of practical communication measures to reduce risks between the two countries.
Why it matters: The working group is one of the standing military-to-military channels meant to keep an incident between US and Chinese forces from escalating, and its readout names no new hotline or agreement, so the channel's value remains in keeping the contact itself running.
Data as of US Department of War readout published November 3, 2026, read in full in this run. All details are the department's own; the readout contains no direct quotations and names no new communication channel or agreement.
Sources
- Readout of November 2026 U.S.-China Crisis Communications and Prevention Working Group - US Department of War - 2026-11-03