Relations between China and the United States have grown increasingly tense, with the world's two largest economies clashing over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

Despite the tensions and heated rhetoric, U.S. military officials have long sought to have open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to be able to mitigate potential flare-ups or deal with any accidents.

"The military relationship is strained, no question about that. It's hard to know how much this is reflective of that strain as much as it is just Chinese intransigence," a U.S. defense official said.

"But we certainly want to have a dialogue. We just want to make sure we have a dialogue at the proper level," the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added.

China's embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached for comment.

A second U.S. official said there was a debate in President Joe Biden's administration about whether Austin should speak with vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, Xu Qiliang, or Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.