Military-to-military dialogues can be a valuable tool for countries to build greater understanding and mitigate the chances of miscalculation, escalation, and conflict, particularly between countries with complex, contentious, and tense bilateral relations.
Under the coordination of the EastWest Institute from 2008-2020, the U.S.-China Military-to-Military Initiative (formerly known as the Sanya Initiative) regularly assembled retired U.S. and Chinese four-star generals and admirals to build greater military-to-military understanding between the two countries. Delegations have discussed a wide spectrum of strategic security issues, including North Korea, maritime disputes in the South and East China Seas, China’s military reform and counterterrorism.
The dialogues were transformed when the initiative transitioned from the EastWest Institute to the Stimson Center in 2020. Under Stimson leadership, the U.S.-China Military-to-Military Initiative has been reshaped to support these frank closed-door interactions with updated approaches and end goals.
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