Biden-Xi talks: Direct military communications between US and Chinese forces to be reopened

News Snapshot:

Direct lines of communication between American and Chinese military forces are to be reopened for the first time in more than a year, Joe Biden has announced. Speaking after a meeting with China's premier Xi Jinping in California, the US president said the restoration of military-to-military communications would help to prevent accidents which could spiral into wider conflicts. Beijing formally suspended direct military contact with the US in April 2022 in the wake of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island of Taiwan - which China views as a breakaway province. The move to restart them was one of...