On a 10-day trip through Asia that ended last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sought to build military ties with allies and partners involved in the U.S. rebalance to the region. He also reached out to China, the presumptive main U.S. competitor in the region, and announced the need for a “new model” of military-to-military relations between the two nations.
As with other aspects of the U.S.-China relationship, military ties between the two countries are underdeveloped, and China remains wary of U.S. intentions.
But the Obama administration, which has its own worries about China, appears to believe that greater cooperation and consultation can produce gains for U.S. interests. Standing alongside Chinese Minster of Defense Chang Wanquan during a joint press conference in Beijing last week, Hagel welcomed the rise of a “stable and prosperous China.” To enhance military-to-military relations between the two countries, Hagel said, the United States believes “its approach should be to build a sustained and substantive dialogue to deepen practical cooperation in areas of common interest.”