EDITORIAL : THE GLOBAL TIMES, CHINA

 

 

Small steps forward for Sino-US military ties

 

Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of the PLA, told his American counterpart during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday that the US is too arrogant. It is rare for a senior Chinese military officer to speak out so openly, especially when on US soil. However, this is a positive sign of the military communication between the two governments. This progress did not come out of nowhere. The two militaries have followed a long and winding path, full of twists and turns.

When issues break out between China and the US, military ties are often the first to be severed and last to be mended. Compared to mutual exchanges in economics, trade, politics and social aspects, Sino-US military communication has appeared rather limited, but there have been many small steps taken in the regard.

Examples of this lie in non-strategic mechanisms, such as a military hotline, exchanges of junior military officers and logistic communication. It is these small successes that make military ties more resilient.

The bilateral military ties are actually not as fragile as some hawks imagine them to be. A series of clashes in the past, from the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, to the crisis over the Taiwan Straits and the espionage plane collision over South China Sea, have forced both sides to work out a set of mechanisms to prevent incidents from spiraling out of control.

This is ultimately the result of a rational choice between the two sides. When an all-out war was ruled out by the advent of the nuclear era, diplomatic bickering, strategic threats and even military conflict could be reined in.
The bloody wrangling between powers in history must be avoided. If these two militaries can move toward building strategic trust, they can be an example to the world of today, and to make history.

Chen's remarks also serve as a reminder to US military hawks that they need to abandon their arrogant mindset and contradictory actions such as arms sales to Taiwan. Such simplistic politically driven calls by the US will make it difficult to dispel distrust.  Sino-US military communication must take small but forward steps. It will take patience and bravery, but it is necessary.