China Expert: Improving Relationships With the U.S.

Long regarded as the weakest spot in the bilateral relationship, U.S.-China military-to-military relations have progressed considerably in recent years.

The two militaries have engaged in joint exercises of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and cooperated in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. More recently, the Chinese Navy has for the first time sent a fleet to participate in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific multilateral naval exercise.

However, following the U.S.-China spat over the latter's announcement of the establishment of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea in November 2013, the two militaries also encountered a series of frictions. In addition, the U.S. indictment of five Chinese soldiers accused of engaging in "commercial cyber-espionage" on U.S. private companies in May and the Chinese interception of a U.S. spy plane near China's coastline in August has increased tension.

ABOUT THIS SERIES: Defense News asked 15 thought leaders in military, government, academia and industry — from Europe to Asia to the U.S. to the Middle East — for their perspectives on their region and how they fit into world events. The result is a comprehensive collection of viewpoints that puts 2014 into context while forecasting the challenges — and what must be done to meet them — in 2015.

Such frictions are indicative of the deepening U.S.-China strategic distrust, and have caused many analysts to be increasingly pessimistic of the prospects for improving U.S.-China relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted U.S. President Barack Obama for a summit in Beijing Nov. 11-12, following the conclusion of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The summit surprised many observers by concluding a wide range of important agreements covering climate change, information technology exports, as well as military-to-military relations.

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