What signals does the defense minister's visit to the US send out? (2)

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Third, this visit will promote Sino-US military interaction in the Asia Pacific region and send out positive signals to the international community that the two countries are committed to working together to deal with international and regional challenges.

Sino-US relations represent the world's most complex bilateral relationship, influenced by fundamental differences in the two countries' social systems and ideologies, and structural problems between the rising power and the conservative existing power. But both countries are increasingly reliant on each other in terms of trade, and both experience ever-closer cultural exchanges.

The tone of Sino-US relations - competition or cooperation – has a decisive impact on regional and international peace and stability. In recent years the temperature has risen in potential flashpoints in East Asia, and these are heavily influenced by Sino-US relations, either hot or cold, either hostile or amicable. In order to reap greater benefits in terms of island disputes and maritime delimitation, countries such as Japan and the Philippines have done everything possible to win over U.S. support, and this has had a negative impact on the Sino-U.S. relationship. As two major powers, China and the U.S. have the responsibility to explore new ideas for positive interaction in the Asia-Pacific region, to build on the positive and eliminate the negative.

Fourth, this visit will seek new ways to control mutual differences and properly handle contradictions between the two armed forces.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, close surveillance over China, and discriminatory laws involving China, are three main obstacles hindering the further development of Sino-US ties. They are also at the source of Sino-U.S. military security issues. There can be no doubt that frank and in-depth exchanges, and communication between Sino-US high-level military officials, will contribute to resolving these problems.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, deputy director of Center on China-America Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science, PLA.

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