The top military leaders of the United States and China signed an agreement here today that they said will improve communication between their militaries and reduce the chances of miscalculations.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Fang Fenghui of the Chinese army, chief of China‘s joint staff, signed the joint staff dialogue mechanism at the Ba Yi, the People‘s Liberation Army headquarters. Dunford is visiting China to further military-to-military ties between the two Pacific powers.

The agreement is intended for crisis mitigation, U.S. Joint Staff officials said, noting that direct communication at the three-star level in the Pentagon and the Ba Yi will „enable us to communicate to reduce the risk of miscalculation.“ Army Lt. Gen. Richard D. Clarke, the Joint Staff‘s director for strategic plans and policy, will lead the effort for the American military. The first meeting to set up the framework is set for November.