Improve Sino-US military ties step by step(2)

At a time of heightened tension in the East and South China seas, it is more meaningful for Beijing and Washington to be open about their respective intents, and seek collaboration whenever possible. In the East China Sea, both China and the US support the status quo, which offers them common ground. Nevertheless they differ in their judgments of who is changing the status quo in the first place. Washington views Beijing's sending of official vessels to the Diaoyu Islands as constituting the first change in the status quo, while Beijing argues that the vessels are only a response to Tokyo's "nationalization" of the main islands. Still there is overlapping room despite their differences.

In the South China Sea, the situation is not much different. China has claimed all the rock features and the waters in their vicinity within the nine-dash line. For a long time, Beijing's claim met no opposition, whether from other countries in the region or the US. But this is no longer the case as some of its maritime neighbors are changing their position and occupying some of the islands and islets they previously never contested.

Meanwhile, when the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into being in 1982, China joined it while reserving its position, and has since proposed shelving differences and jointly developing the disputed areas.

Clearly it is not China that has challenged the status quo on the sovereignty over the rocks and surrounding waters in the South China Sea. And China's reservation on UNCLOS and proposal to shelve the disputes are less well understood and appreciated. This adds to the importance of dialogue and communication, as China deserves to be better understood for its position and practice in this part of the world. As long as the Pentagon is patient and careful, it will find that it shares more common ground than divergence with Beijing on this as well.

Through conversation and collaboration, the Chinese and US militaries can build up mutual trust and a cooperative partnership, as a part of the new type of major-country relationship.

General Fang's visit is another step in this ongoing process.

The author, Shen Dingli, is professor and associate dean of the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University.