US Military to Maintain Open Communication With China to Reduce Crisis Risk

US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has pledged to keep open channels of communications with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in a meeting with his counterpart Gen. Li Zuocheng in Beijing, the US Army said in a press release on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US general has also underscored the commitment of the United States to international rules and regulations and urged the Chinese counterparts to follow the example, according to the Army.

"Gen. Milley expressed the US intent to maintain open channels of communications with the PLA to reduce the risk of crisis or miscalculation and candidly address differences," the release stated.

Milley also told Li that the decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea is a defensive measure.

THAAD should "protect South Koreans and Americans from the North Korean ballistic missile threat and is not a threat in any way to China," the release said.

In July, South Korea and the United States announced that they had agreed to deploy the system in the South Korean Seongju County amid increased tensions on the peninsula over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program.

The THAAD system is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles at the terminal incoming stage. The system's deployment to Seoul has caused concerns in North Korea, as well as China and Russia.