Panetta's constructive visit

Visiting US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta sang a harmonious tune in Beijing on Tuesday when he told his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie that the United States intends to establish a healthy, stable, reliable and continuous relationship with China and wants to build strong military-to-military relations.

His tone was similar to the one used by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, during her visit to Beijing earlier this month. Such an approach is definitely better than talking tough as it helps bring the two countries together rather than pushing them apart.

Worldwide, military-to-military ties are perceived as a barometer of the overall relations between two countries. Over the years, bilateral military ties used to be the weak link in Sino-US relations but the link has strengthened since last year.

As such, Panetta's ongoing visit to China, following Liang's US trip in May, is another important step toward forging a stronger Sino-US military relationship, as such senior interactions will help the two militaries deepen mutual trust, dispel suspicion and reduce strategic miscalculation.

The world financial crisis and the political unrest in West Asia and North Africa have brought new challenges to regional and global security and peace. The militaries of the world's two largest economies will be better able to fulfill their responsibilities in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond by cooperating more closely and broadly.

Their first joint anti-piracy drill, conducted on Monday in the Gulf of Aden, is just one example of how the two militaries can promote cooperation in nonconventional security fields.

China has made continuous efforts to deepen Sino-US military ties. However, improving military transparency and reducing strategic ambiguity is a two-way street. The US needs to reassure China that its strategic rebalancing to Asia-Pacific is not to contain China's rise.

Also, US support for some Asian countries involved in territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea and the South China Sea has contributed to the escalation of tensions in the waters.

For the two sides to steer their military-to-military ties onto smooth terrain, the US should view China's rise as an opportunity rather than a potential threat and it should adopt a more constructive approach to Asia-Pacific affairs.

(China Daily 09/19/2012 page8)