Unannounced Military Talks Between US And China

Deputy chief of the General Staff of China’s People’s Liberation Army led a visit to the US this week. Lt. Gen Cai Yingting’s trip was reportedly at the invite of the US military. The visit was kept low key, with neither the US nor Chinese authorities announcing it.

Cai’s visit began on Monday. It’s the second by a senior Chinese army official to the US in about three months. The Chief of the PLA, Liang Guanglie, was in the US in May.

Chief Editor of China Affairs magazine, Wu Fan, says that given the differences between the Chinese and US militaries, the two major powers need to engage in dialogue to prevent misunderstandings.

[Wu Fan, China Affairs Magazine Chief Editor]
“The ideology and thoughts behind the US and Chinese systems are different. Both are jostling for power. For the Communist Party’s army and the US military to sit down for a dialogue, or discussion, it’ll reduce understandings and avoid accidental conflicts.”

Cai came with several other PLA officers, including Chen Shoumin, the Deputy Head of the strategic planning department of the PLA General Staff Headquarters.

Wu believes one of the purposes of the trip is to diffuse tension between China and US, following an escalation in territorial disputes between China and its neighbors over the South and East China seas.

According to the US Department of Defense, the Chinese delegation will visit army bases in Texas, Missouri and Hawaii. The Chinese military leaders will also visit the Pentagon.