The United States and China are dangerously close to direct military conflict. They urgently need to restore reliable lines of communication between their armed forces. Eric Rosenbuck, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for National and Global Security, and Chris Lee, a researcher at the Harvard Belfer Center, write about this in The New York Times.
The authors point out that the number of incidents involving the American and Chinese military in the Taiwan area has increased dramatically, including dangerous interceptions and approaches of aircraft. According to them, the risk of such episodes escalating into an armed clash is higher today than ever, since there are virtually no communication channels between the countries, similar to those that existed during the Cold War between the United States and the USSR.
Experts recall that in 2001, a collision between an American reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet led to a severe diplomatic crisis that was resolved only ten days later. Today, they note, the situation would be much more complicated: China has significantly increased its military power, and mutual tensions are fueled by nationalist sentiments. In this regard, the authors urge US President Donald Trump to discuss the issue of military communications with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit.
