US and Chinese military officials meet in Fiji in rare engagement

Admiral John Aquilino, who leads the US Indo-Pacific Command, held a meeting with a senior Chinese official in Fiji. - Reuters

FIJI (Bloomberg): US and Chinese military officials met at a defense chiefs conference in Fiji this month, in a rare direct engagement between the armed forces of the two superpowers.

Admiral John Aquilino, who leads the US Indo-Pacific Command, held a meeting with a senior Chinese official at the event held Aug. 14-16, the Pentagon said. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian told reporters in Beijing Thursday that General Xu Qiling, deputy joint chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, met US representatives there. Neither side gave further details on the discussions.