Monday, January 17, 2011

Is The Chinese Military Interested In Better Relations With The U.S.?

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie pay their respects as each other's national anthem is played by the People's LIberation Army at the ministry of Defense in Beijing, Jan. 10, 2011. Gates met with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his staff at the ministry and held a press conference. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

Does China's Military Want Better Relations With The U.S.? -- Stars And Stripes

TOKYO — Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ talks with Chinese leaders last week rebooted the two nations’ defense relationship, but whether that dialogue will produce substantive security improvements in one of the world’s most tense regions remains to be seen.

Although Gates told reporters his talks were productive, U.S. military officials say the history of the military-to-military relationship with China has been marked by a lack of give-and-take when it comes to sharing information.

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My Comment: One will have to say no .... it appears that China has very little interest (or motivation) to develop closer ties with the U.S. military. But this has always been the case with China. They have always run an independent foreign/military policy, and I do not see them changing a policy that they perceive has been very good to them. I will still the expect the U.S. to continue trying to establish some form of framework for both sides to operate in .... but for the moment .... the Chinese defense establishment have very little interest in pursuing such a relationship .... and they are making that sentiment very clear for all to see.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fair enough. But does the US military want closer ties with the Chinese military? Any evidence for this?

War News Updates Editor said...

It is not the US military per se that makes the decisions here. It is the political leadership of the Pentagon (Gates and company) and the White House that decide policy .... and the policy is to develop some form of structure to work with the Chinese military.

Mark said...

it is clear that the "reaching out" is one-sided - at least in the public media of the west..