US admiral’s trip an opportunity to have results-focused dialogue

The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a healthy and stable military-to-military relationship between China and the United States is in both countries’ interest, especially when bilateral ties are at a crucial juncture.

The comment came after the US Navy said in a statement that Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, is currently visiting China to meet with the Central Military Commission leadership and Chinese Navy commander Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong.

The goal of the three-day visit, to be concluded on Wednesday, is to continue a dialogue between the two militaries that is focused on results and risk reduction, it said.

“I am looking forward to this trip,” Richardson said in the US statement. “A routine exchange of views is essential, especially in times of friction, in order to reduce risk and avoid miscalculation.”

The ministry said it hoped “the US will work with China to maintain strategic communication, strengthen dialogue within mechanisms, promote cooperation at various levels, accumulate mutual trust and manage differences, as agreed on by the leaders of the two countries, in order to mold military ties into a stabilizer of the China-US relationship”.

This is Richardson’s second visit to China. During his first, in 2016, he toured the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s submarine academy and aircraft carrier Liaoning.

Speaking of the new visit, Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said “It will help to enhance mutual understanding between the two militaries so that they can have effective communication and control disputes in the event of a crisis”.

Military-to-military communication is crucial, given Beijing and Washington’s differences of understanding regarding “freedom of navigation”, which the US has claimed as justification for sending warplanes and warships to the South China Sea several times, he said.

Last week, a US warship trespassed in China’s territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, prompting a stern rebuke from China.

Worldwide military-to-military ties are usually a useful barometer for gauging the degree of strategic mutual trust between countries. When bilateral ties plummet, mutual trust between the two militaries will suffer. Hence, the ongoing visit of US Admiral John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations, is naturally being perceived not only as a move taken by the two militaries to maintain and lubricate their channels of communication and dialogue, but also a sign the two countries want to keep a tight rein on their differences.

Since the US side unilaterally initiated trade frictions with China last year, bilateral ties between the two big countries have rapidly worsened. At the same time, due to Washington’s increasing perception of China as a strategic rival, tensions between the two militaries have also spiked.

After US President Donald Trump took office, the US Navy has conducted several so-called freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in an attempt to challenge China’s maritime territorial sovereignty and interests.

In the latest of such operations, the US sent its guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell to sail near the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Jan 7. As always, this US action was met with strong opposition from China as it violates China’s sovereignty. US operations like this and its close-in surveillance not only cast a shadow over military-to-military ties but also erode the strategic mutual trust between the two countries.

The seemingly inexorable downward spiral of bilateral relations have fueled speculation that a head-on military clash between the two countries is becoming increasingly unavoidable, so even though it is unlikely the two sides will suddenly see eye to eye during Richardson’s visit, exchanging views on their respective positions is necessary and of real benefit. For as he said ahead of his trip, honest and frank dialogue can reduce risks, improve relations in constructive ways and help find ways to expand common interests. This is especially true as Beijing has no intention of challenging the US global supremacy.

Frequent contacts at the high level have, over the year, proven to be instrumental in deepening mutual understanding and reducing the risks of strategic misjudgment and miscalculation, Richardson’s visit should be no exception and can help ensure military ties provide support for building healthier relations in other areas.

At present, the two countries are pursuing negotiations that aim to put an end to the trade war. At this critical moment, the two sides should seize the opportunity of Richardson’s visit to clarify their broader aims and build greater trust.