U.S. military must restrain its antagonistic attitude toward China

Related News China and US to hold defense consultations Co-production, a win-win for U.S., Chinese film industries? US reform 'will secure Chinese investment' U.S. TV looks to China for value and inspiration Report: Most U.S. congressional districts increase exports to China in 2008 Comment Tell A Friend Print Format Save Article Senior Chinese and U.S. military officials are meeting for the U.S.-China Defense Consultations in Beijing starting today. The truth that trust in China- U.S. military ties is far less than the trust in other fields is an ultimate issue that both sides have to face and solve. There has been nine such important Defense Consultations in the past 12 years. But trust in China- U.S. military ties still does not seem positive. To change the current situation, the U.S. military must change its attitude toward China. U.S. military has never fundamentally changed its containment policy toward China in the past 30 years. Part of the U.S. military has always regarded China as a potential enemy and made strategies correspondingly. The reasons for this are very complicated, such as economic need, public lobby, military game and negotiation. Stimulated by these factors, the U.S. military has acted improperly several times, like the bombing accident of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia and the air-collision incident. These incidents further push China- U.S. relations into an embarrassing or even critical situation. The U.S. possesses the strongest military power in the world and also has a powerful military force in the Asia Pacific region. While China has been rising incredibly rapidly in recent time and its influence on the Asia Pacific region has been increasing at the same time. Collisions between China and the U.S. in recent years show that the two countries have to build a cooperative pattern which can deal with problems peacefully. Otherwise, both of them will be in an unfavorable situation. Mutual trust is essential for building such cooperation. The lack of mutual trust in military ties and the lack of progress in military relations between China and the U.S. directly influence further development of relations in other fields between the two countries. For example, the U.S. restriction on the export of Chinese high-tech products to the U.S. is closely related to the lack of mutual trust in military ties. Mutual trust in military ties between China and the U.S. is also directly related to the peace and stability of Asia-Pacific region. As the growth of China, the U.S.' old alliance system in Asia-Pacific region is subject to change. In the past, the U.S. built military relations with allies in Asia with a strong intention of restraining China. Now, more of the U.S. allies are benefiting from the growth of China. Out of their own interests, they are avoiding becoming the tool of the U.S. policy against China. But the lack of mutual trust in military ties causes huge safety concerns for these countries. If part of the U.S. military still holds antagonistic attitudes toward China, then the Asia-Pacific region may be upset for a long time. More importantly, the transformation of the antagonistic attitude of the U.S. military against China is also a critical step in the transformation of the security pattern in the Asia-Pacific region. Political and economic changes in Asia-Pacific region are urging a new security pattern. Only by increasing mutual trust in military ties between China and the U.S. can we found a solid basis for the smooth transformation between old and new security patterns. China and US to hold defense consultations The 10th round of China-US defense consultations will be held on June 23 and 24 in Beijing. The two sides will exchange views on military relations between China and the US, the Taiwan issue, international and regional security and other issues of common interest. Full Story By People's Daily Online