China, U.S. militaries seek greater harmony
China's Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Chen Bingde gestures to a U.S. journalist at the Ba Yi Building in Beijing in this January 14, 2008 file photo.
Credit: Reuters/Andy Wong/Pool/Files
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If their bands can make music together, can the U.S. and Chinese militaries strike a better note as well?
That was at least the hope as the premier military bands from China and the United States performed together in Washington on Monday, kicking off a visit by top brass from the People's Liberation Army meant to improve often icy relations.
General Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the PLA, and seven other generals are leading the PLA's first trip to the United States since Beijing severed military ties in 2010 in protest over a $6.3 billion U.S. arms deal with Taiwan.
The concert, in which both bands played together after solo performances, was the first public event during the weeklong trip in which Chen will meet top officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House.
All are hoping to build on momentum improving Sino-U.S. ties following President Hu Jintao's first state visit to the United States in January.
"We think this is a great opportunity for the two militaries' armies, in particular in this case, to come together and to begin to get to know each other," said U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey, speaking to reporters before the concert.
"We hope it's the start of other kinds of engagements in the future," said Dempsey,, who added it was the first time the PLA band had played in public on U.S. soil.
China's rapid military buildup has raised eyebrows in Washington, including its test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter during a January visit to Beijing by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. It also is possible China will launch its first aircraft carrier later this year.
Chinese ships shadowing U.S. vessels in the South China Sea and Beijing's surprise launch of a missile that destroyed an inactive Chinese satellite in 2007 have raised worries about the risk of dangerous missteps, especially as China's military increasingly rubs up against U.S. forces in Asia.
Chen, in a sign of Chinese willingness to engage, is expected to take questions from U.S. military officers on Wednesday after a speech at the National Defense University in Washington. He may also speak with Pentagon reporters on Tuesday, officials say.
While those events will likely focus on areas of friction, including China's military buildup and U.S. arms sales, a U.S. official said the agenda was not designed to focus on those issues.
"We don't expect this to be a contentious meeting and certainly the agenda is not designed to focus on areas of outstanding disagreement," the official said.
"We expect this to be along the trend of a warming in relations, really with the momentum carried on by the President Hu visit."
In another sign of the recent thaw, the USS Hampton, a California-based nuclear submarine, arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and was at anchor in Hong Kong harbor, a Navy spokesman said. China had canceled port visits in the past.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and David Alexander in Washington, Gary Ling in Hong Kong; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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2. It’s about time. Russia and China’s military both still orient their military capability to stave off a future war with the USA. This is asinine. Thank god that their military’s do not carry weight in their own Politik. The US needs to invite Russia into NATO (Which the rest of NATO already wants) in order to calm them down. And they need to have more engagements with China like this.
3. Both as a military expert and a China hand, I suggest that it is time for the US and China to have a war games exercise together. Letting the leadership in both develop animosity and paranoia for each other is unacceptable. It is time for the US to acknowledge that China is a global force both militarily and economically. And it is time for China to become a socially responsible contributor to the world stage.
4. I would also suggest a mutual language academy, in Guam or Hawaii. Let Chinese professors teach Mandarin to American brass and American professors teach English to Chinese brass. The point is to teach them that we are human too and enjoy peace.
1. multiple “real analysts” have already disagree with you on this point, google can be your friend
2. Russia joins nato and this is wanted by other nato members? this is almost as absurd as the moon landing being a film made in Hollywood
3. there is way too little trust right now to have wargames, ties were severed only until this get together
4. there are already language and culture classes on both sides, making it a requirement to take them however, is a new idea.
1. J20 cant be stealth. the tail and engines are not shaped appropriately to properly deflect radar. Although according to the Chinese, whom admit it is not stealth yet, they are a few years away from developing better engines.
2. France and Germany both want Russia to join NATO and have lobbied on their behalf. Even if the US offered a seat for Russia at the table, their military’s own distorted view of the world would probably turn it down.
3. There is no mutual training center, no place for officers to learn from each other. Sure both countries have their own training programs, filled with their own propaganda. The only way to learn about another culture is to live it. Show their officers and our officers that we are not evil and are in fact much the same.
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