US lawmaker in China warns lack of communication between big militaries is dangerous
Conversation is crucial so ‘we don’t stumble into any sort of conflict’, Adam Smith of US House Armed Services Committee says
Adam Smith, the committee’s top Democrat and former chairman, said Beijing needed to understand that it must have greater engagement with other large militaries – including the US – given its fast-rising military strength and nuclear arsenal.
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“It is dangerous for us not to be having regular communications about our capabilities and intentions so we understand each other and so that miscalculations and misunderstandings don’t lead to larger problems,” he said.
While acknowledging that China’s desire to build a strong military to defend its interests was “logical”, Smith also stressed that Beijing needed to understand that “now they are such a large military that they need to have more conversations with other large militaries in the world for basic deconfliction”.
Especially with rapid advancements in technology, including in artificial intelligence and cyberspace, “the risk of a misunderstanding of capabilities on one side or the other is great”, he warned.
This was the case with nuclear weapons, Smith said, adding that even as Beijing downplayed its nuclear strength, “it’s time to start having a conversation about it, to make sure that we understand each other, and we don’t stumble into any sort of conflict”.