US-CHINA RELATIONS: America’s top general has ordered a comprehensive review of all encounters between the US and Chinese militaries over the past five years in the South China Sea and beyond, defense officials said.

The order from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley came after a call with his Chinese counterpart on July 7, during which Gen. Li Zuocheng disputed the US contention that Chinese military aircraft and ships have adopted an increasingly aggressive behavior against US and allied militaries in international waters, defense officials and sources told CNN and NBC News.

During the call, Milley “underscored the importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue on improving crisis communications and reducing strategic risk,” according to a readout of the call.

Notable Quotes:

“China has been on the rise, economically and militarily, for more than a decade. They’ve become more bold in the Pacific,” the top US general said in a written statement to CNN.

“Maintaining open lines of communication and managing competition will reduce strategic risk. The US military’s focus is on modernization and readiness. Our network of partners and allies is a source of strength,” he said.

Review Order:

Milley ordered the assessment as US military officials have reported an uptick in the number of encounters between US and Chinese militaries in the South China Sea. Analysts say those encounters are so sensitive that defense officials frequently choose to keep them under wraps.

The review reflects the Pentagon’s intense focus on Chinese military activities and capabilities amid a “pivot” toward Asia Pacific to contain Beijing’s rising influence.

Background

Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at an Asian security conference that the US has “seen an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels.”

Addressing the Shangi-La Dialogue in Singapore, the Pentagon chief accused Chinese military aircraft of conducting “dangerous intercepts of allied aircraft operating lawfully in the East China and the South China Seas,” and warned of dangerous interactions in the Taiwan Strait.

Countering China is a key US strategic priority and Washington appears to be ramping up its military operations around the disputed islands of the South China Sea.

Ramping up Pressure:

On Saturday, a US guided-missile destroyer, the USS Benfold, sailed near the Spratly Islands, a chain of islands in the South China Sea at the heart of an ongoing territorial dispute between China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei.

It was the second such operation in just days. The United States, which sides with China’s rival claimants in the dispute, routinely sends warships and warplanes to the South China Sea under the pretext of “freedom of navigation.”

Beijing, on the other hand, sees the operations are as a direct challenge, and has warned of the risk of close military encounters with the US military.