Strange Bedfellows or Spirit of Cooperation? US-China Plan Joint Excercises

With all that is going on in the region, a most unexpected move was announced earlier this week. CNN had posted reports that spokesmen from both the United States and the PRC have both announced that the two countries plan to hold joint military exercises this November 13-18th 2016 to focus on Disaster Relief Missions. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that China's military spokesperson Wu Qian said in a recent briefing: "The scenario of the joint exercise and exchange is professional disaster relief in high-altitude regions. It consists of three phases, namely, academic exchange, command post exercise and live troop exercise." While only a small number of PLA and US Military personal will take part in this exercise, it is our hope that this spirit of cooperation can be built upon and perhaps the current tensions could be eased. With rising climate related disasters on the rise, it is up to the nations of the world to put aside their petty differences and come together in times of need. Whiles these exercises won't solve all the outstanding issues on the South China Seas, it can in some small part lay the ground work for future cooperation in humanitarian and disaster relief efforts where our two great countries resources can be used in tandem for good. We at American Mishima hope to see more of this.