Today’s Wall Street Journal, ran a story about Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, “reconnecting” with General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which commands the Communist Party’s armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Even a topical analysis of just three points can show that Americans and Chinese are failing to understand each other.

One.  The headline itself asserts a surprising inaccuracy.  “Chinese” do not have a military.  The Communist Party of China does.  This may sound trite but grasping the difference between a military pledging allegiance to a political party instead of to a population of people can help interlocutors appreciate obstacles to understanding.

Two.  Prizing talking so highly puzzles PLA leaders who wonder what either side might gain from just talking.  Furthermore, when PLA leaders hear that their US counterparts prioritize conferences, the PLA wants to test what and how much the United States might give up just to hold talks.

Three.  PLA negotiators may understand that US law requires the United States to defend Taiwan, but their institutional environment deprives them of any appreciation that US administrations cannot simply change the laws that bind them.

Take heart, however, the Communist Party, which has been screaming for help, may have found a channel to communicate constructively with a United States tone deaf to the party’s early pleas.