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China-US military ties advance (2)

By Zhao Xiaozhuo (China Daily)

16:50, May 18, 2012

Non-traditional security threats have become of increasing concern in recent years, posing a real and urgent need for China and the US to cooperate on the security front. According to the third and fourth consensuses reached between Liang and Panetta, both countries agree to enhance exchanges and cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and other fields and to conduct joint humanitarian relief and mitigation, and anti-piracy exercises this year. The expanding and deepening military cooperation will facilitate their strategic mutual trust, forging conditions necessary for solving bilateral differences and sensitive issues.

The Pentagon unveiled a new military guidance entitled "Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense" earlier this year, ushering in a new round of military contraction and a rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region. As it is returning to the region, the US is more aware of China's military modernization and is concerned that it will challenge its military dominance in the region. Meanwhile, China's belief that the US is pursuing a containment policy has been reinforced by the US enhancing its military ties with its Asian allies and the Air-Sea Battle operational concept signed into effect last year.

Nonetheless, China and the US are not necessarily at daggers drawn, especially as a more optimistic view on their relations has become the conventional wisdom in Beijing and Washington. Following on from Chinese President Hu Jintao's call for the two countries to build a new type of relationship between big powers, Liang said during his visit that China and the US should make efforts to establish a new type of military relationship that stresses mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

For his part, Panetta said the US supports the idea of building ties between the two militaries that are future oriented and the two sides should step up their cooperation to confront common security threats and challenges together.

Liang's visit to the US has clearly been very fruitful, and we have good reason to remain optimistic for the future of the China-US military relationship.