Opinion | Naval drill row signals rough seas ahead for China-US military ties
US withdrawal of an invite for China’s navy to take part in exercises jeopardises efforts to forge closer links between two sides’ armed forces, writes Mathieu Duchâtel
The US Department of Defence presented the withdrawal of an invitation to China to attend the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises this year as an “an initial response to China’s continued militarisation of the South China Sea”.
But just as inviting the PLA Navy to the same exercises in 2012 did not lead to self-restraint from China in the disputed waters, not inviting its forces this time around will certainly not result in a slowdown of China’s arms build-up in its four militarised outposts in the Spratly Islands and the Paracels: Woody Island, Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef.
For the US, questioning engagement with the Chinese military is about more than the South China Sea. And for China, asserting administrative control and building a dominant military presence in the South China Sea is not going to be affected by the level of military-to-military relations with the US.
Back in 2011, inviting the PLA Navy to attend RIMPAC 2012 was a big development in US-China military ties. Rim of the Pacific is the largest international naval exercise in the world. It bears symbolic significance, showcasing a maritime order in the Pacific Ocean structured by US naval power.
The invitations to China to previous exercises did not come without a cost for the United States.