As the People’s Liberation Army Navy prepares to join Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Franz-Stefan Gady analyzes China’s current tensions with the United States and its recent naval exercise with Russia to predict the future of military-to-military relations.

Using the sci-fi film, Pacific Rim, as a backdrop, Zhao Weibin compares cooperation between the United States and China to that of the connection shared between the pilots of the machines designed to fight Kaijus. Weibin argues that there are many issues that China and the U.S. can work to solve mutually through RIMPAC 2014.

The four-day visit by the Chinese Defense Minster to the United States was another strong example of the growing ties between the US and China. The visit, which focused on future military-to-military ties, established further planning for exercises and communications in the coming year, and was deemed positive by both sides.

The US views China as a key to developing a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Asia-Pacific in the 21st century, therefore, building a healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous military-to-military relationship with China is of great significance.