Top US, Chinese Military Officials to Meet Amid Taiwan Tensions, Reports Say

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China and the United States are preparing a meeting between their top military officials to discuss rising tension around Taiwan and US-China arms race to develop the most lethal hypersonic weapons, South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

"It is one of the consensuses reached during the Xi-Biden summit. The two leaders have ordered the militaries to discuss the arrangements," the Hong Kong-based newspaper quotes one of the sources as saying.

The format and details of the dialogue are yet to be confirmed, but sources said that a telephone call or virtual conference in early January was being considered, according to the newspaper.

After last month`s virtual call between the Chinese and US presidents, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, the two countries discussed the possibility of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holding talks with Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The US has boosted cooperation with Taiwan in recent years, while China has strengthened deployment of fighter jets into Taiwan`s air defense identification zone. Taiwan topped the agenda of the Xi-Biden video meeting. Xi issued a stern warning to his counterpart over the self-ruled island, which Beijing saw as a renegade province.