Cementing Military Trust

Dempsey’s visit to China highlights need for cooperation By Yu Lintao

“High-level military exchanges, which help promote military transparency and mutual trust, are necessary in the context of the U.S. pivot to Asia.”

—Teng Jianqun, Director of the Department for American Studies with the China Institute of International Studies

General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited China in late April days after top U.S. diplomat John Kerry did the same. The recent series of visits between Washington and Beijing, kicked off by Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in March,demonstrate an eagerness to consult with each other since the beginning of President Barack Obama’s second term and China’s leadership transition. In addition to ever-expanding economic and trade ties, along with social and cultural initiatives, the enhancement of bilateral military exchanges remains important for the strengthening of mutual trust, despite barricades.

“Dempsey’s visit was helpful in learning more about the Chinese military, building trust and enhancing coordination between the two sides on regional security affairs. But compared to Sino-U.S. economic, social and cultural relations, there remains much room for the improvement of their bilateral military relationship,” said Teng Jianqun, Director of the Department for American Studies and a senior research fellow on China’s security policy with the China Institute of International Studies.

Candid interaction

During talks with Dempsey, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also Chairman of the Central Military Commission, said China is willing to make joint efforts with the United States to establish a new type of military partnership.Fang Fenghui, Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), expressed a similar stance.

Dempsey said he was satisfied with the candid, in-depth and fruitful interaction with Chinese military of fi cers during his trip. The United States is ready to work with China to strengthen mutual trust and overcome obstacles in boosting military-to-military relations, he added.

Teng said the new-type military relationship is part of the “new type of relations between major countries” that China advocates. It is also a basis for promoting mutual trust. However, military ties remain the most sensitive component of Sino-U.S. relations.

“High-level military exchanges, which help promote military transparency and mutual trust, are necessary in the context of the U.S. pivot to Asia,” Teng told Beijing Review.The U.S. focus on Asia has aroused concern in China over possible containment tactics.

China is trying to enhance its military transparency to gain trust from the outside world, Teng said. He cited the newly published white paper on China’s armed forces as an example, saying the country is showing both transparency and self-con fi dence in its national defense.

In the paper, China for the first time disclosed the numbers of army, navy and air force servicemen, designations of its army combined corps and its main missile lineup.The paper also showed a clear line in the strategic intention of Chinese defense.

WALKING THE RED CARPET: Fang Fenghui(left), Chief of the PLA General Staff, welcomes Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Beijing on April 22

Han Xudong, a professor at the Beijingbased PLA National Defense University, said that the results of Dempsey’s China trip showed that the United States sees great value in the development of the Chinese military. Deepening Sino-U.S. military exchanges will play a positive role in safeguarding stability and security in the Asia-Paci fi c region.

At a joint press conference with Dempsey on April 22, Fang pointed out that China would work with other parties concerned to prevent a possible new nuclear test in North Korea, which Teng said gave the two sides common ground for cooperation.

The Chinese and U.S. sides also announced that their armed forces would hold a joint drill on humanitarian rescue and disaster relief in 2013. A joint anti-piracy drill between navies in the Gulf of Aden is also in the pipeline.

Yao Yunzhu, a senior researcher with the Academy of Military Science of the PLA, said the militaries of both countries would continue to pursue concrete cooperation and engage in regular exchanges.

Barriers ahead

Teng noted that unlike former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen,the second-term Obama administration diplomatic team has shown a low profile in dealing with China.

During their trips to China, both Kerry and Dempsey revealed cooperative attitudes toward Beijing.

Even so, Teng claimed Washington has yet to change its strategic intention to maintain U.S. dominance in the Asia-Paci fi c region.

“Mutual doubts still exist. The United States worries about the rapid growth of Chinese military forces, especially as it has cut its own military budget due to fi scal problems. Meanwhile, China is very concerned about the U.S. military shift toward the Asia-Paci fi c, including the deployment of missile defense systems in the region,” Teng said.

In addition, Yao said traditional problems such as the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan,Washington’s surveillance ships off the Chinese coast as well as the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000, which sets restrictions on exchanges between the two militaries, still inhibit Sino-U.S. military ties.

Wang Xiangsui, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said communication between military leaders of both countries will become more frequent and routine.

To establish mutual trust, Wang said the two countries need to overcome obstacles.In his opinion, the United States should acknowledge that China is a regional power that does not pose a threat to U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region. If both countries continue to view each other as imaginary enemies, mutual trust will remain a dream,Wang said.

“The Asia-Pacific region has become the most vigorous place in the world and we share the responsibility of jointly safeguarding the peace and stability in the region,”Fang said at the joint press conference with Dempsey.

“We respect U.S. interests in the region and are glad to see the United States play a constructive role in Asia-Pacific affairs,” he added. ■

focal points

During his meeting with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey,Fang Fenghui, Chief of the PLA General Staff, called on the two militaries to focus on the following four areas in their collaboration efforts:

● Increasing dialogue and consultations to bolster trust

● Deepening results-oriented cooperation to expand mutual interests

● Respecting each other’s core interests and removing barriers to the development of military-to-military ties

● Emphasizing crisis management,effectively responding to security risks,advancing defense relations and contributing to regional and international peace