A mission that is possible

China and the US should seek to extend their cooperation in traditional and nontraditional security areas

The China-US military relationship is not short of problems or crises. But at present the momentum is definitely in the right direction.

The China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in July concluded with 91 outcomes from the strategic track, and both sides said they are "committed to strengthening the military-to-military relationship and to make efforts to raise the relationship to a new level".

Chinese Defense Minister General Chang Wanquan and Naval Commander Admiral Wu Shengli are expected to visit the United States this year.

But there are still a lot of issues to be overcome to build greater mutual trust.

The S&ED obligates both sides to "actively explore a notification mechanism for major military activities and to continue discussions on the rules of behavior for military air and maritime activities".

But does that include the US' deployment of troops or weapons systems on China's periphery as part of its rebalancing to Asia? Does it include anti-satellite missile tests, such as the one conducted by China in 2007 and by the US in 2008? On the rules of behavior for military air and maritime activities, does this include US reconnaissance in China's exclusive economic zone and the Chinese naval flotilla's unannounced but legitimate passage through the Straits of Japan?

To make things more complicated, the same term may have different meanings for the two militaries. For example, freedom of navigation is acknowledged by both China and the US according to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the Chinese believe that military activities cannot be simply categorized as freedom of navigation and cannot infringe on a coastal state's national security interests, while the US maintains that military activities and overflights and other internationally lawful uses of the sea fall within the freedoms of navigation.