By Shannon Tiezzi
To combat mutual suspicion, the U.S. and China are ramping up their joint humanitarian and disaster relief exercises.
On November 19, a ceremony at Fort Hamilton in New York City marked the formal conclusion of a joint drill between the U.S. and Chinese militaries. The drill, which began in Hawaii on November 12, was an exercise in joint humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Under the training scenario, troops from the U.S. and China practiced providing emergency aid to a third country that had suffered a severe earthquake. The drill was one of the largest yet held between the two countries, and provided a rare opportunity for joint field exercises.
In the past few years, joint humanitarian drills have encouraged cooperation between two militaries that increasingly distrust one another. Joint training in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) provides an unobjectionable way for the two militaries to engage with one another. Engagement leads to understanding, which is the basis for mutual trust — or so the theory goes.
Read the full story at The Diplomat