U.S. military warns Beijing against 'dangerous' South China Sea moves in talks

Senior US military official warns Chinese counterpart against dangerous moves in South China Sea during high-level talks.

A senior U.S. military official warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing's "dangerous" moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders.

Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of self-ruled Taiwan and China's increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.

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But they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Wu Yanan, head of the Chinese army's Southern Theater Command talked via video call on Tuesday China time.

Mr. Paparo "underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA," a statement from his command said.

"Such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation," he said.