U.S.-China Sanya Initiative Report from the 5th meeting
Strengthening Military-to-Military Ties www.ewi.info | t: @EWInstitute | f: EastWestInstitute
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Strengthening Military-to-Military Ties
T
he EastWest Institute in partnership with the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) convened the 5th meeting of the U.S.China Sanya Initiative, which took place on December 9-13, 2013. Senior retired flag officers of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps traveled to Beijing and Chengdu, China to meet with retired senior generals of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to discuss critical issues in the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship. The delegations spent two days in off-the-record dialogue in Chengdu and also met with
General Zhang Yang, director of the General Political Department of the PLA and member of the Central Military Commission, and General Li Zuocheng, commander of the Chengdu Military Area. The Chengdu dialogue sessions covered a range of topics of military and political importance to the United States and China. Discussion focused on Taiwan; cybersecurity and regional security in Northeast Asia; and also addressed other issues such as the U.S. rebalancing strategy to Asia, North Korea, the East China Sea, Islamic extremism and managing
the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship. Both sides agreed that cultivating communication and mutual understanding between the militaries of the United States and China is essential for fostering the cooperation necessary to address the world’s most difficult issues. Since 2008, the Sanya Initiative has regularly brought together retired American and Chinese senior generals in order to build stronger military-to-military ties between the U.S. and China. EWI expects to host the next round in the United States in 2014.
Chinese Delegation
General (ret.) Ge Zhenfeng Former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, People’s Liberation Army; Former President, Academy of Military Sciences General Ge Zhenfeng joined the PLA in 1962 and the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1965. In addition to posts within the PLA, General Ge has served as vice president of the National Defense University of the PLA and president of the PLA Military Academy of Sciences. He was a member of both the 16th and 17th CPC Central Committees and served as deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress from 2010 to 2013.
General (ret.) Li Qianyuan Former Commander, Lanzhou Military Area General Li Qianyuan joined the PLA in 1961. Over a 20-year military career, he served in various capacities, including squad leader, platoon leader, training staff officer, vice section chief, regimental chief, vice colonel, colonel and division chief of staff. His last military position was commander of the Lanzhou Military Area and he was promoted to the rank of general in 2004. General Li currently serves as the vice director of the Countryside Committee of the National People’s Congress.
General (ret.) Zheng Shenxia Former General, People’s Liberation Army Air Force; Former President, Academy of Military Sciences
Lieutenant General (ret.) Wang Liangwang Former Deputy Commander, People’s Liberation Army Air Force
General Zheng Shenxia joined the PLA in 1958. From 1989 to 1996, he served as chief of staff of the 7th Army of the Air Force, commander of the 7th Army of the Air Force and principal of the College of Air Force Command. In 1999, he became chief of staff of the Air Force and was promoted to the rank of general in 2004.
Lieutenant General Wang Liangwang joined the PLA in 1964 after graduating from the Beijing Air Force College. From 1964 to 1987, he rose through the ranks of the Air Force to become base commander, and he also served as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress. General Wang was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1998 and served as deputy commander of the Air Force until 2003. www.ewi.info
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U.S. Delegation
Vice Admiral (ret.) Wang Yucheng Former Deputy Commander, Lüshun Naval Base Vice Admiral Wang Yucheng is the former deputy commander of Lüshun Naval Base (Port Arthur). From 1994 to 2000, Vice Admiral Wang served as the naval deputy chief of staff and held the position of naval chief of staff from 2000 to 2003. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral.
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General (ret.) John P. Abizaid Former Commander, U.S. Central Command
General (ret.) James E. Cartwright Former Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
General John Abizaid is a senior partner at JPA Partners LLC, a strategic and analytic consulting firm. He retired from the U.S. Army in May 2007 after 34 years of service, which culminated with a position as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). He currently serves as the distinguished chair at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and sits on the board of directors of USAA and RPM International.
General James Cartwright is the Harold Brown Chair in Defense Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He entered the military in 1971 as a naval flight officer and pilot and was promoted to progressively higher positions, eventually becoming commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2007. General Cartwright retired from the military in 2011.
Admiral (ret.) William A. Owens Former Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Owens is the managing director of AEA Investors, Hong Kong. He served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1994 to 1996 and was the commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Since retiring from the military, Admiral Owens has served on the board of directors of 19 public companies and has founded 2 technology companies. He also sits on several philanthropic boards, including the Carnegie Foundation, the Brookings Institution and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
General (ret.) Walter L. Sharp Former Commander, United Nations Command; Former Commander, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command; Former Commander, United States Forces Korea General Walter Sharp commanded the United Nations Command, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea from 2008 to 2011. He has also commanded troops in Iraq, Haiti and Bosnia. General Sharp currently consults for several companies, is the honorary chairman for the Department of Defense Korean War Commemoration Committee and serves on the board of directors for the Korean War National Museum, Library and Cultural Center.
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U.S. and Chinese Delegation Activities
Two-day dialogue session on Taiwan, cybersecurity and Northeast Asian security
Beijing
Chengdu
Meeting with General Li Zuocheng, commander of the Chengdu Military Area
Meeting with General Zhang Yang, director of the General Political Department of the PLA
Local cultural performances at Shu Feng Ya Yun Briefing and tour of the Chengdu Military Base
Special Thanks Host and Partner Organization China Association for International Friendly Contact and Initiative Sponsors Joel H. Cowan Kathryn W. Davis China-United States Exchange Foundation MacArthur Foundation Starr Foundation
Visit to the Jianchuan Museum and Jinsha Ruins
“Frankness and openness is really what develops friendships and relationships and what allows this forum to be so successful.” Gen. Walter L. Sharp FORMER COMMANDER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA-U.S. COMBINED FORCES COMMAND
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