China and the United States should build a new type of military relationship compatible with the new type of major-country relationship, President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with President Barack Obama on Nov. 12, 2014. The two countries’ armed forces have a great responsibility to maintain regional and world peace, so it is in the interests of their peoples, the Asia-Pacific region and the entire world for them to build a new type of military relationship.
The meaning of a new type of military relationship
The great Athenian historian, Thucydides, believed the rise of a major country usually precipitated war with another pre-existing major power. “What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear this caused in Sparta,” he asserted, giving birth to the term Thucydides Trap.
China is developing at an unprecedented speed. But Thucydides Trap is avoidable. So is head-on conflict between China and the United States. As time goes by, the balance of power between the two could well remain peaceful. Building a new type of military relationship compatible with major-country relations would be one key step. The new type of military relationship is not an idle concept or diplomatic cliché. On one hand, it is proactive strategic thinking: preventing conflict through preparation. On the other hand, diversity is blossoming across the world, and it would be good for global cooperation if managed effectively. If such cooperation could be integrated into mechanical agreements, it would help prevent confrontation.
Enhancing mutual trust between two militaries
At a meeting in California in June 2013, the presidents of China and the United States agreed to consider establishing a mutual reporting and trust mechanism on major military operations and a code of safe conduct on military encounters at sea and in the air ("two mutual trust mechanisms"), and the two militaries have maintained positive momentum in improving ties. High-level exchanges, dialogues and negotiations have produced concrete results. During Obama’s visit to China in November, the two sides signed the two mutual trust mechanisms.
The mutual reporting and trust mechanism on major military operations means that when one side is conducting major military operations, such as large-scale military drills, it is obligated to inform the other side of the timing, location, scale and purposes beforehand.
The code of safe conduct on military encounters at sea and in the air applies when the frontline forces meet on or over the high seas. It stipulates the code of conduct and communications so as to avoid misunderstandings and errors of judgment, and to diminish risks.
The establishment of the two mutual trust mechanisms demonstrates the two sides’ positive attitudes towards a future of improving military ties. They will definitely be conducive to enhancing mutual trust and positive interactions.
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