Leaders of China and the United States have renewed cooperation to recover the remains of American servicemen who went missing in China during World War II, marking a rare area of collaboration amid ongoing strategic tensions between the two countries. The agreement was reached during a recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, reflecting a shared recognition of their countries’ wartime alliance more than seven decades ago.

Observers note that efforts to locate and repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers represent one of the least politically sensitive areas where Beijing and Washington can work together. Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel of China’s People’s Liberation Army and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, described the renewed search as “politically one of the least controversial” initiatives and a continuation of previous cooperative efforts dating back to the 1940s.

The joint endeavor recalls the cooperation between Chinese and American forces during WWII, which President Trump referenced at the summit’s welcome ceremony by praising the American Flying Tigers, volunteer pilots who fought alongside China against Japanese forces. At a state dinner, President Xi likewise highlighted the solidarity forged “in blood and fire,” recounting the opening of the “Hump” air route over the Himalayas—a vital supply line connecting Allied bases in India with southwestern China—and paying tribute to the Chinese soldiers and civilians who rescued hundreds of American aviators at great cost.

According to Dai Boyuan, assistant research fellow at the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, the renewed commitment serves not only as a practical humanitarian mission but also as a collective reaffirmation of history. He noted that the agreement underscores that China-U.S. relations encompass more than rivalry, countering attempts by some groups in Japan to minimize or deny responsibility for wartime actions.

During World War II, more than 120,000 American servicemen were deployed throughout China in various roles, including supply transport and air support, supporting the broader Allied war effort after Japanese forces severed overland routes in Southeast Asia. Flights over “The Hump” were perilous, conducted under severe weather conditions and frequent enemy attack, leading to many personnel being listed as missing in action.

The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency estimates that approximately 690 American service members remain unaccounted for within mainland China. Initial cooperation between China and the U.S. to find missing soldiers began in the 1940s but was interrupted by the Chinese civil war and the subsequent diplomatic estrangement between the two countries. This collaboration resumed after diplomatic relations were formally established in 1979.

In the context of ongoing competition in areas such as security, trade, and technology, the renewed focus on recovering wartime remains offers a rare constructive platform for engagement, reflecting a shared commitment to honoring historical ties and humanitarian obligations.