International Law

That?s It?

By Stan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his counterpart in Beijing on Thursday tested for the first time a "hot line" designed for consultations in times of crisis.

The line is similar to one created decades ago between Washington and Moscow. The Pentagon initially proposed the Beijing hot line, but the Chinese balked until President Bush and President Hu Jintao agreed last September to establish the system.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Gates and Gen. Liang Guanglie spoke briefly about advancing military-to-military relations, and Gates noted the importance of having a direct telephone link.

"It demonstrates that overall the U.S.-China defense relationship continues to improve," Whitman said.

Gates congratulated Liang on his March 17 appointment as minister of defense, and he "emphasized how substantive dialogue can avoid any miscalculations."

I’m familiar with the history behind all this and understand how communication was a problem in past crises and that this is all about changing protocol. However, as I sit here in 2008 and read about government officials congratulating themselves over, essentially, the installation of a phone line, I get the sense that the "competent government" bar has been lowered just a bit too much.

I wonder how many summit meetings and diplomatic initiatives were necessary before the phone line could be installed?

Here’s the rest of the article.

Full post as published by China Hearsay on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).