Changing role of China and US

• Source: The Global Times
• [23:28 May 30 2009]
• Comments

Build military ties that match economic relations

Thomas Barnett: Military relationships take time, how they work is that your military officers study in our colleges, our officers are able to interact with your colleges early in their careers, build relationships when they are young officers, so that when difficult times come, it is the military relations that are stronger and more stable than the political or the economic ties. Because the economic ties can go up and down the political ties can change, but often it’s the military relationships we have with countries like France, Britain, Canada and Australia.

So if China wants to create that kind of trust that I think is very important, China needs to go places and do things with other militaries. When it shows up off the coast of Somalia that’s a good thing. There’s a humanitarian crisis right now in the northern part of Sri Lanka, hundreds of thousands of people are at risk.

This is the perfect opportunity for the Chinese Navy, Indian Navy and US Navy all to respond to this crisis. Who can argue with a response to a humanitarian disaster at the end of a civil war insurgency that has been going on for many many years? The US has already talked to India about making a joint effort.

What I have not seen is a discussion about the US talking with China, or China saying to the US that we should be talking to you first because this is closer to our country. We feel responsibility here.

These types of steps can be considered assertive in some ways, but this kind of activity creates through shared experiences.

When China seeks to protect its growing dependency on oil coming from the Middle East, these efforts will not be interpreted in a suspicious manner. You have to go out and through your actions prove that you are willing to play that kind of role. Through that experience trust will be gained.