Strategic security not so easy to guarantee

According to Glaser, an expert on China at the Research Center of American Strategy and International Questions, Xu Caihou’s visit to U.S. will be an opportunity for the two countries to discuss to give each other “strategic reassurance”. And the So-called “strategic reassurance” means “we are already prepared to welcome the appearance of China as a big nation, but China also needs to make sure that its development wont threaten the U.S. or her partners.”

This can also be considered as the main reason why the Pentagon attached such great importance to the visit of a high-level leader of the PLA. Gates believes that U.S. needs China to explain the goal of its military development because it is “unclear”. But the question is, whether the host is prepared to offer “strategic reassurance” to the guest to gain their assurance?

Before welcoming Xu Caihou’s visit to U.S., Willard, the new Commander of U.S. Pacific Command implied that U.S. wouldn’t stop their activity in China’s territorial waters. He strongly pointed out that U.S. has been acting in this area for 150 years and it does not intend to change this.

Though Xu Caihou’s visit to U.S. is regarded as an important signal for the restoration of the two armies’ relations, the damage to mutual strategy confidence caused by American arms sale to Taiwan hasn’t been healed yet. And compared to the restoration of the exchange activity, the psychology restoration will need much more time.

The word “reassurance” implies a feeling of relief and it let people be at ease, but how does U.S. make China feel relieved? How can we believe that substantial military cooperation between those countries and regions are not trying to contain us? Niu Xinchun believed that, taking this into consideration, “strategic reassurance” is doomed to be a long-term process which cannot be easily guaranteed.

By People's Daily Online