The Shangri-La Dialogue underscored the importance of military-to-military relations as a stabilizing factor in China-U.S. relations. While they have been the most sensitive and closely watched aspect, they have also been one of the few bright spots.

There’s a long list of worthwhile possibilities in the military and security fields, and it’s of utmost importance that the two countries engage with one another. The result of failure could be catastrophic.

Joe Biden has promised to deliver a dramatic change from the former President’s ways, but a look at his actions in Asia show his administration may be picking up right where Trump left off.

While pursuing cautious containment, the U.S. will want to avoid major military frictions. Biden may re-emphasize the role of military exchanges with China, which will create opportunities for military dialogue and exchanges at all levels.

Once again the annual assessment is filled with unfounded suspicion and smears. Nevertheless, with relations at low ebb between China and the United States, relations between the two militaries will be the key to peace.

War often begins with security frictions. Taiwan and the South China Sea are powder kegs.

Top American and Chinese defense officials will lay out rival visions for the Indo-Pacific region as they meet in Singapore this week amid a bruising global trade war, tensions over China’s push for technology leadership and the specter of stalled U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks.

The Trump administration has begun applying military pressure on China, not only in traditional areas of friction such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, but using arms control. Recent American withdrawal from the US-Russia INF Treaty may be part of a strategy to draw China into a potential new nuclear agreement.

The U.S. effort to deny China access to advanced Russian weapons is understandable and, arguably, preferable to more direct attempts to decelerate China’s military modernization.

Tensions between the two countries flared on military as well as economic fronts.