By Cliff Montgomery – Aug. 4th, 2010
“Skeptics and proponents of military exchanges with [China]…have debated whether the contacts havesignificant value for achieving U.S. objectives, and whether the contacts have contributed to [China’s]…warfighting capabilities that might harm U.S. security interests,” states a Congressional Research Servicestudy released last month.
The American Spark quotes most of the report’s summary, below:
“This CRS report, updated as warranted, discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military (mil-to-mil)contacts with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since1993.
“The United States suspended military contacts with China and imposed sanctions on arms sales in responseto the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989.
“In 1993, the Clinton Administration re-engaged with the top PRC leadership, including China’s military, thePeople’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“Renewed military exchanges with the PLA have not regained the closeness reached in the 1980s, when U.S.-PRC strategic cooperation against the Soviet Union included U.S. arms sales to China.
“Improvements and deteriorations in overall bilateral relations have affected military contacts, which were closein 1997-1998 and 2000, but marred by the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, mistaken NATO bombing of a PRCembassy in 1999, the EP-3 aircraft collision crisis in 2001, and aggressive naval confrontations (including in2009).
“In 2001, President Bush continued the policy of engagement with China, but the Pentagon skepticallyreviewed and cautiously resumed mil-to-mil contacts. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in 2002,resumed the Defense Consultative Talks (DCT) with the PLA (first held in 1997) and, in 2003, hosted GeneralCao Gangchuan, a Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Defense Minister.
“General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited China in January 2004, as the highestranking U.S. military officer to do so since November 2000. Rumsfeld visited China in 2005, the first visit by adefense secretary since William Cohen’s visit in 2000.
“In 2006, a CMC Vice Chairman, General Guo Boxiong, made the first visit to the United States by the highestranking PLA commander after 1998.
“Issues for the 111th Congress include whether the Obama Administration has complied with legislationoverseeing dealings with the PLA and pursued contacts with the PLA that advances a prioritized set of U.S.security interests, especially the safety of U.S. military personnel.
“Oversight legislation includes the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FY1990-FY1991 and NationalDefense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2000.
“Skeptics and proponents of military exchanges with the PRC have debated whether the contacts havesignificant value for achieving U.S. objectives, and whether the contacts have contributed to the PLA’swarfighting capabilities that might harm U.S. security interests.
“Some have argued about whether the value that U.S. officials have placed on the contacts overly extendsleverage to the PLA.
“Officials believe talks can serve U.S. interests that include conflict prevention and crisis management,transparency and reciprocity, tension reduction over Taiwan, weapons non-proliferation, strategicnuclear/space talks, counter-terrorism, and accounting for POW/MIAs.
“Policymakers could review the approach to mil-to-mil contacts. U.S. defense officials have reportedinadequate cooperation from the PLA, including denials of port visits at Hong Kong and aid to U.S. Navy shipsin distress (Thanksgiving 2007). The PLA has tried to use its suspensionsof exchanges while blaming U.S. ‘obstacles’ (including arms sales to Taiwan, legal restrictions on contacts withthe PLA, and the Pentagon’s reports to Congress on the PLA).
“The PRC’s harassment of U.S. surveillance ships (in 2009) and increasing assertiveness in maritime areashave shown the limits to the results of mil-to-mil talks and PLA restraint. Still, at the Strategic and EconomicDialogue in July 2009, President Obama called for military contacts to diminish disputes with China.”
