This latest was held via video conference between the US and PLA sides Wednesday through Thursday of this week, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian confirmed. This also as Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo toured Asia seeking to gain support and cooperation from allies on confronting and countering the "China threat" to the region.

Over the course of this month President Xi Jinping has made multiple hugely provocative statements telling PLA forces to "prepare for war" as tensions are ratcheting over Taiwan, particularly after US warship 'freedom of navigation' passages through the Taiwan Strait and Washington's latest approval of advanced weapons transfers.