Just as U.S. President Bill Clinton expressed to Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1996, both countries need to rely on the common interests of combating climate change and strengthening mutual security. This can happen with improved and people-to-people interaction.

Despite tensions in the South China Sea, Chinese General Fan Changlong is in the United States, being hosted by the Pentagon. Mil-to-mil exchanges been taking place since the mid-1990’s, despite opposition from U.S. congressional war hawks and Chinese hardliners. To build political support for productive U.S.-China mil-to-mil exchanges, such programs will have to produce real results, and soon.

Beijing’s role in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), a multi-nation maritime operation, has become a point of controversy, even leading some U.S. leaders and analysts to suggest revoking an invitation. Losing a RIMPAC invitation may not deter Beijing’s more aggressive movements, and also reaffirm charges of U.S. containment.

While the U.S. and China understand that military confrontation is in neither nation’s interest, leaders are not willing to budge from actions they consider key to protecting vital national interests. The U.S. has interest in the shipping lanes and its regional allies, while China is unshakable in its desire to safeguard regional sovereignty.

The US DOD’s 15th report on China’s military, pushing China again into the rank of potential adversaries. Indeed, only the four militaries of the former Soviet Union, China, Iran, and North Korea have enjoyed the “privilege” of US DOD’s annual scrutiny. In addition to the monotonous description of the latest developments in Chinese armed forces, this year’s report has some new features.

With US-Japan military cooperation as its main pillar, the deepening US military involvement in Asia goes against the world tide of peace and development, and against the will of the Asian people. The American government would do well to study the lessons of history as it cements its partnership with Tokyo.

"Albert Speer's Grandson Addresses Joint Session Of Congress." Can you imagine that headline? I can't either, particularly if Speer's grandson had devoted much of his life to rehabilitating his grandfather's image, was on record as being sympathetic to Holocaust deniers and had used his political base among Germany's neo-Nazis as the springboard to secure the prime ministership.

A key component of Washington’s military rebalancing strategy is improving its relationship with Japan. However, actions by Abe and some close associates reinforce suspicions of the attempt to legitimize imperialism through revised textbooks, visits by the PM to the Yasukuni Shrine, and reluctance to accept the history of “comfort women.”

Both the responses the next U.S. Defense Secretary gave to the Senate Armed Services Committee and the latest U.S. National Security Strategy adopt a benign tone regarding China. These documents generally affirm a desire to improve overall relations and continue China-U.S. defense exchanges even while seeking greater Chinese military transparency and the peaceful resolution of China’s maritime claims in the Pacific.

A Sino-American joint military exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) to a typhoon-hit country was held in Haikou, Hainan Province. These cooperative exercises are still in the early phases; non-traditional threats such as counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and maritime security, are still institutionally, logistically, and legally lacking.