China and US navigate gulf of mistrust

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China and US navigate gulf of mistrust
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95079cd0-0f70-11de-ba10-0000779fd2ac.html

By Kathrin Hille and Demetri Sevastopulo Published: March 13 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 13 2009 02:00

Only 10 days ago, US defence officials described their dialogue with China as a love- fest. The two sides had just had their "best ever" talks, said David Sedney, the Pentagon's top official for China.

This week, a Chinese military leader called the US "villains" in response to accusations from the Pentagon that Chinese ships had harassed Impeccable, a US Navy survey vessel, in the South China Sea last weekend. Dennis Blair, the national intelligence director and former head of US Pacific Command, said the incident was the "most serious" since the collision of a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over Hainan island in 2001.

After initial bursts of outrage, both sides seem determined not to allow the incident to damage broader relations. But it serves as a chilling reminder of the reality in military ties between the world's only superpower and the nation most likely to become its main challenger.

These ties have a history of cautious steps forward intermingled with stalling and shock disruptions. Mr Sedney's meetings with People's Liberation Army leaders in Beijing last month were, in fact, aimed at bringing bilateral military dialogue back on track after a partial suspension late last year when Washington confirmed its intention to go ahead with certain weapons sales to Taiwan.

There was, and still is, much reason for optimism that dialogue can become more frequent and meaningful and cover a wider range of topics, say defence officials and scholars.

One is the fact the two sides have started discussing security conditions in Pakistan and Afghanistan, China's backyard, something unheard of earlier. Another is the intensive and detailed bilateral exchanges between a PLA naval anti-piracy mission to the Gulf of Aden and its US counterparts.

"The military relationship is in a phase of adjustment after the Obama administration took office," says Zhang Minqian, an academic from the University of International Relations, adding that Beijing might have regarded the change of government in the US as an opportunity.

This opportunity coincides with efforts on the part of the PLA to transform itself to fill the role of the armed forces of a major power. As China stated in its defence white paper this year, the country pays increasing attention to non-traditional security threats such as terrorism and piracy.

It intends to strengthen its naval capability to secure future lines of communication, increase military contacts with other countries and take on ever more responsibility in dealing with regional and global security threats.

The US has emphasised it welcomes this and hopes to see more of it. Mr Sedney said the US "welcomes China as a global player".

These changes, however, will continue to come very gradually, experts caution. "I don't think that China will be satisfying all of the US's expectations with regard to international involvement and responsibility from now on," says Mr Zhang.

The main reason is that distrust runs deep on both sides.

The US continues to feel that China is building a military capability that is not necessary to address the purely defensive strategic goals it claims it has.

One example of this is China's apparent desire to own aircraft carriers, again confirmed by growing calls from senior military officials this week that the country was capable of and should build its own carrier.

The PLA pairs these calls with the assurance that China will not seek hegemony and its military strategy remains defensive.

But US military officials are not convinced. Washington also accuses China regularly of hiding part of its military expenditure and failing to explain what it is really doing.

"It is not natural for these people to reveal anything," says a military source in frequent contact with the PLA.

The feeling of unease is mutual. "In the past, we would dig ourselves in but there is no one invading now," says Peng Guangqian, a military scholar with close ties to the PLA.

"In the era of globalisation, we are interdependent. However, none of us likes it deep in our hearts. It is like a marriage without love," Mr Peng adds.

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