Ideological Differences Limit U.S.-China Counterterrorism Cooperation

Ideological Differences Limit U.S.-China Counterterrorism Cooperation
U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing, China, July 25, 2016. (AP photo by How Hwee Young).

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice visited China last month, where she held talks with Chinese officials about the threat of terrorism and prospects for improving counterterrorism cooperation. In an email interview, Jeffrey Payne, the Manager of Academic Affairs at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, discusses the state of counterterrorism cooperation between the U.S. and China. (The views expressed in this article are his alone and do not represent the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.)

WPR: How extensive is counterterrorism cooperation between the U.S. and China, and in what areas are they trying to expand cooperation?

Jeffrey Payne: China and the United States do not cooperate to any substantial degree on counterterrorism. However, countering violent extremism and counterterrorism are becoming more significant elements of bilateral security conversations. National Security Adviser Susan Rice’s recent visit to China featured frank conversations over concerns relating to the so-called Islamic State and other violent extremist organizations, reflecting a trend of China taking greater interest in such groups as its engagements throughout Africa and Asia have deepened. Besides discussions to enhance information-sharing devices between both countries, most progress in the realm of countering violent extremism and counterterrorism has focused on particular countries where U.S. and Chinese interests largely correspond. Afghanistan is a prominent example, where the U.S. has encouraged China to invest economically and to provide nonmilitary-related training and aid to the Afghan government and where China has taken the initiative to initiate talks between conflicting factions. In Iraq, where both countries have invested various resources, there is a similar effort to construct agreement on how both countries can assist the Iraqi government.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review