Two Pacific Giants Unlikely to Slip Into Conflict

The relationship between China and the United States is far more likely to prosper than deteriorate, according to an expert from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Former ambassador Charlie Salmon, foreign policy advisor with the center, offers that the relationship probably will remain basically stable and mutually beneficial. Speaking at a panel discussion at TechNet Asia-Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, Salmon offered that China has no reason to adopt game-changing strategies with regard to U.S. military power in Pacific. China has too many challenges at home to risk upsetting the regional security status quo. "They're smart enough to realize that, if they tried to do that even over the next 30 or 40 years, they would not be successful," he said. This is all the more important because the problems that the globe is now facing cannot be solved by any one nation and will require cooperation, especially between China and the United States, he said. "The Chinese recently have been playing a very bad game," Salmon allowed. However, he believes that this may have been due to ineptitude rather than a grand plan. Nonetheless, the United States should strengthen its existing bilateral relationships and expand relationships with other nations, particularly through existing organizations, he offered. And, the United States should use the 6-party talks, which include China, as a nucleus for a Northeast Asia security dialogue.