A mission that is possible (3)

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To build bridges, non-traditional security is a "soft" area where the two countries can work together to establish greater trust. Among their ongoing joint efforts in anti-terrorism, military medicine, pandemic disease control, humanitarian aid and disaster relief, counter-piracy is a good example of cooperation. On Nov 22, 2010, the USNS Lewis and Clark and USS Winston Churchill provided substantial help to the PLA Navy in relieving the Chinese vessel Taiankou, which was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Piracy in the gulf has dwindled considerably thanks to the joint efforts of international naval forces including China and the US. Both countries also participated in the first Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercises in Brunei in June, which were staged under the framework of the ADMM-Plus. These exercises should be institutionalized to enhance interoperability and to promote capacity building.

　　More can also be done to cooperate in peacekeeping. To date, China is the largest troop and police contributor among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with 22,000 military personnel dispatched to 23 peacekeeping missions. The US is the largest contributor of funds, paying $ 7.33 billion, more than 28 percent of the total, for the fiscal year July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. But interaction between the two is rare. In spite of a 23-year involvement, Chinese peacekeeping is primarily confined to providing engineering, logistic and medical support to avoid the sensitive issue of sending "combat troops". However, on June 27, 2013, for the first time in history, China announced that it would send a security force to be deployed in Mali. Not only can the two militaries exchange information about their experiences, they can also provide support and training to the regional peacekeepers of the African Union who need assistance due to lack of funds, equipment and expertise.

　　At their Sunnyland summit Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama pledged to establish a "new type of relationship between the major powers", this will require unremitting and even painstaking efforts from the two militaries to deepen strategic trust.

The author is an honorary fellow with Center of China-American Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science.

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