US-China military talks aim to ease tensions with Covid-19 prevention focus
- Diplomats hope the dialogue can help to reduce the risk of a major conflict in the Trump administration’s final weeks
- Virtual three-day discussions between the armed forces give a rare glimpse of cooperation amid rising tensions
According to a short statement from the Chinese defence ministry, discussions will include Covid-19 prevention and control, a cooperative response to floods and typhoons, and civil-military cooperation. Meetings will be held via video conference, with the Chinese side in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, and the US team in Hawaii.
Diplomatic observers said the talks – the 16th regular exchange between the two militaries – could help reduce the risk of a major conflict between the two nations after a series of post-election personnel changes at the Pentagon.
Pang Zhongying, an international relations expert at the Ocean University of China, said the talks were a “pragmatic sign” amid all the uncertainty between the two countries.
“This shows they are still communicating, which will help lower the risk of misjudgment and an accidental clash. The chance of a major conflict should be lowered,” he said.
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The inclusion of Covid-19 in the discussions marked a change after the Trump administration’s criticism of China throughout the pandemic, according to Collin Koh, a research fellow from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“Though this event isn’t novel, it shows both militaries’ desire to keep political tensions under a lid and prevent undesirable spillovers into the military domain.”
Koh said the use of “low hanging fruit” like humanitarian discussions to reinvigorate military exchanges was a positive sign which was likely to continue.
“Efforts like these would likely dovetail into the incoming Biden administration approach towards China – one that could look into cooperation with Beijing in areas of common interest, not necessarily having to compete on all fronts,” he said.
Military tensions between Beijing and Washington, already high during the Trump administration, further escalated ahead of the US elections, raising concerns of armed conflict arising out of a misstep between the two powers. The US spends more on defence than any other country, followed by China.
US, China may ‘stumble’ into conflict in South China Sea
On Tuesday, US state department official Atul Keshap said China had “exploited the Covid-19 crisis with destabilising actions” by acting more aggressively in the South China Sea and reiterated Washington’s rejection of Beijing’s “unlawful maritime claims” in the region.