US, China reached military agreements to prevent confrontation

From Ang Malaya (Nov 13): US, China reached military agreements to prevent confrontation


United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping met during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to discuss major international, regional issues of common concern and China-US relations.


China and US crafted two military agreements to enhance cooperation and prevent any confrontation in Asia. First agreement is the two countries will notify each other on major activities such as military exercises. The second one is on rules of behavior for encounters at sea and in the air.


These agreements are also crafted to prevent incidents similar to what happened last August 19 when a US Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare jet encountered a Chinese fighter jet. Pentagon described it as “very, very close” and “very dangerous.”


The White House calls these agreements as “military-to-military confidence-building mechanisms.”


“It’s incredibly important that we avoid inadvertent escalation and that we don’t find ourselves again having an accidental circumstance lead into something that could precipitate a conflict,” U.S. deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.


http://www.angmalaya.net/world/2014/11/13/5694-us-china-reached-military-agreements-to-prevent-confrontation