- Title: U.S.-China cooperation to continue with new president – military officials
- Date: 18th November 2016
- Summary: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA (NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) CHINESE ARMY COMMANDER OF THE SOUTHERN MILITARY REGION, LIU XIAOWU, AND COMMANDER OF THE U.S. ARMY IN THE PACIFIC GENERAL, ROBERT BROWN, SHAKING HANDS U.S. AND CHINESE SOLDIERS SEATED LIU GIVING SPEECH U.S. SOLDIER CHINESE SOLDIER LIU SALUTING BROWN AND OTHERS CLAPPING CEREMONY IN PROGRESS BROWN SPEAKING SOLDIERS LISTENING CEREMONY IN PROGRESS LIU WALKING IN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALIST TAKING PHOTO ON MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMANDER OF THE U.S. ARMY IN THE PACIFIC GENERAL ROBERT BROWN, SAYING: "I would give my best military advice, if asked, at the appropriate time in the transition, and you know these types of military to military exchanges are really critical because of that trust they build. And I could cite a couple of examples, one for… a pretty significant one, is 2014 stopping the spread of ebola, for example." JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE ARMY COMMANDER OF THE SOUTHERN MILITARY REGION, LIU XIAOWU, SAYING: "These kind of drills will certainly continue, no matter if it's Trump or Hillary Clinton. No matter who is president, as long as it's aimed at humanitarian relief to help relieve suffering of those in disaster zones, it will win support. I think these types of activities work as a bridge for encouraging cooperation between the two armies, and I believe they will definitely get better the more we do them." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 3rd December 2016 11:47
- Keywords: Kunming military drills humanitarian US cooperation army Yunnan
- Location: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00158Z21QF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
China and the United States wrapped up a three-day humanitarian relief military drill on Friday (November 18), looking past simmering tensions over the disputed South China Sea and uncertainty over what Donald Trump's presidency would mean for defence ties.
New concerns loom with Trump's shock win in the U.S. presidential election earlier this month, a man who lambasted China on the campaign trail and has suggested Japan and South Korea be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
But it was all smiles as Chinese and U.S. soldiers gathered together for a closing ceremony at the end of the exercises.
Asked if he was worried Trump's administration could cancel next year's drills, Brown said he was confident that would not happen.
"I would give my best military advice, if asked, at the appropriate time in the transition, and you know these types of military to military exchanges are really critical because of that trust they build. And I could cite a couple of examples, one for… a pretty significant one, is 2014 stopping the spread of ebola, for example," said Brown.
Liu was upbeat too.
"These kind of drills will certainly continue, no matter if it's Trump or Hillary Clinton. No matter who is president, as long as it's aimed at humanitarian relief to help relieve suffering of those in disaster zones, it will win support. I think these types of activities work as a bridge for encouraging cooperation between the two armies, and I believe they will definitely get better the more we do them," said the Chinese army commander.
This is the fourth time China and the United States have conducted such drills since they began in 2013, as the two try to set aside mutual suspicion from the bottom up, rather than just relying on contacts at a more senior level.
The exercise involved 134 military personnel from China and 89 from the United States, using helicopters and engineering equipment.
They also conducted tabletop exercises focusing on sharing information and joint decision-making, field manoeuvres focusing on evacuation of earthquake victims and search and rescue. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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