PACOM Commander Briefs at Foreign Press Center

The state of military relations between the U.S. and China was the primary topic of discussion July 28 when Adm. Timothy J. Keating spoke with a group of more than 30 international reporters at the Foreign Press Center in Washington D.C.

Adm. Keating, PACOM’s commander, emphasized the importance of the renewal of a dialogue between U.S. and Chinese military officials, which will happen within the next several months during an upcoming Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) session. The MMCA is a forum designed for talks aimed at promoting safety in naval and air operations.

An American Forces Press Service story highlights Adm. Keating’s comments, including his hope that the military relationship with China will extend to include humanitarian and disaster relief exercise, personnel exchanges, information-sharing on counterterrorism techniques and procedures, and observation of bilateral and multilateral exercises.

Adm. Keating also fielded questions on several other topics, including the state of the U.S. alliance with Japan, which he said “…remains powerful, vibrant and at the centerpiece of all our strategies in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The Admiral opened his briefing with a review of the PACOM Strategy and its tenets of partnership, readiness and presence, and once again held up Pacific Partnership as an example of the application of the strategy.

View video coverage of the 25-minute exchange here on the blog, on the PACOM website, or on the Pentagon Channel.