Military trust elude U.S., China

China has shown new interest in military ties following talks in Beijing in June and an October U.S. tour by General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission.

“What you've seen over the last nine months is really a significant deepening of the interaction,” a senior U.S. official told Reuters.

But historic mistrust and potentially explosive issues such as the status of Taiwan mean “the mil-mil side will continue to be the poor cousin in the relationship,” Cheung said.

General Kevin Chilton, head of the Pentagon's Strategic Command, which coordinates U.S. military operations in space, on Tuesday called for “an open dialogue between our nations” to better understand the intent of China's space programs.

U.S. calls for transparency have prompted China to publish military white papers, but China's military views openness as a luxury only the stronger United States can afford, experts say.

“We think transparency's really important, but it's a challenge for militaries, and especially for their military, to accept the basic premise,” said the U.S. official.

Analysts Zhao Pi and Li Xiaodong of the China Academy of Military Science indicated there was great mistrust of the United States, which has military bases in South Korea and Japan and has begun to develop military ties with India.

“In the face of the U.S.'s overbearing strategy of encirclement and suffocation, China must show even greater flexibility at the same time as upholding its own position and principles,” they wrote in a study.

A big test of military ties will come if Taiwan, whose China-friendly president, Ma Ying-jeou, has improved relations with Beijing, restates a long-standing request to buy U.S.-made F-16 fighter planes to update an aging fleet.

Mullen said the Beijing-Taipei relationship “seems to be moving in the right direction” toward reduced tensions. But he added, “We have obligations to support Taiwan as well, which we have done and I believe we will continue to do.”

On broader military ties with China, the admiral said, “I hope we have enough of a relationship with them that we can avoid any serious conflicts in the future.”

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