(Bloomberg) -- Defense chiefs from the U.S. and China agreed in principle to guidelines on encounters between warplanes, in the latest bid by Pacific nations to keep increased military activity from unintentionally escalating into conflict.
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he and seven other regional military chiefs, including China’s General Wei Fenghe, gave broad endorsement to the rules in Singapore on Saturday, during an annual meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The non-binding guidelines had been formally adopted a day earlier by defense ministers from ASEAN’s 10 member nations.
The document, which follows similar guidelines on naval encounters signed in 2014, encourages military planes to establish communications with other aircraft, clearly identify themselves and avoid maneuvers or gestures that could provoke a response. “These guidelines will help reduce the likelihood of encounters or incidents spiraling into conflict in the event of a miscalculation,” it said.
The 18-member ASEAN-Plus Eight Partners also include Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia and South Korea. The full grouping could formally adopt the air encounter guidelines during next year’s ASEAN meetings in Thailand.
Growing Competition
The rules represent the latest attempt to manage a surge in military activity in the Western Pacific as China’s extends its naval and air reach. The U.S. -- the region’s dominant security power since World War II -- has stepped up its presence to assert free navigation rights in the South China Sea and other waters claimed by Beijing.
Mattis has sought to play down military disputes with China during the trip, which included a 90-minute meeting Friday with Wei. While Wei reaffirmed Chinese concerns about the South China Sea and Taiwan, the two sides agreed to deepen trust and let military ties play a stabilizing role in the relationship, according to the country’s defense ministry.
The U.S. and China have in recent years complained of tense midair encounters, with each side accusing the other of endangering its aircraft and personnel. The U.S. has also accused China of targeting its pilots with lasers, something specifically discouraged by the ASEAN guidelines.
The rules seek to build on the 2014 agreement signed by 21 nations on naval protocols, known as the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea, or CUES. Earlier this month, the U.S. accused China’s navy of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after a Chinese destroyer maneuvered close to the bow of an American warship near a disputed South China Sea reef.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brendan Scott in Singapore at bscott66@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, John McCluskey
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Advertisement