A former PLA officer claimed that a Cold War-like agreement could help ease the tensions between the U.S. and China. 

Former PLA Officer Suggests Cold War-Like Agreement to Prevent US-China Tensions; Ex-US Defense Official Negates the Idea
(Photo : Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)
A man wears a protective mask on February 10, 2020 in Wuhan, China. Flights, trains and public transport including buses, subway and ferry services have been closed for the nineteenth day. The number of those who have died from the Wuhan coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, in China climbed to 909.

He shared his opinion via his latest SCMP blog post

"The two militaries should explore building confidence in new fields where the gaps are not huge," said Zhou Bo. 

Former PLA Officer Suggests Cold War-Like Agreement

According to the South China Morning Post's latest report, Zhou mentioned the recent encounter between a US RC-135 surveillance airplane and a PLA J-11 fighter jet. 

Former PLA Officer Suggests Cold War-Like Agreement to Prevent US-China Tensions; Ex-US Defense Official Negates the Idea
(Photo : Photo credit should read MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AFP via Getty Images)
General Joseph Dunford (L), chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Fang Fenghui shake hands after signing an agreement at the Bayi Building in Beijing on August 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Mark Schiefelbein

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Bo explained that this encounter clearly proves that the South China Sea is more dangerous than the Taiwan Strait. 

He claimed that the tensions happening in the South China Sea are comparable to those during the Cold War. 

Zhou explained that joint operations between the two nations could ensure good air-to-air encounters, reducing the risk of conflict or clash. 

The former PLA official added that the U.S. and China already have agreements that can make reduce tensions. However, they didn't "fully play their roles." 

This is why he suggested using an agreement similar to the one created by the U.S. and Russian governments during Cold War.

Former U.S. Defense Official Disagrees

Drew Thompson, a former U.S. defense official who managed military relations between China and Taiwan, disagrees with Bo's idea. 

He explained that the U.S. and China are not in a state of the cold war. 

Thompson added that such an agreement would not work since Chinese officials commonly denounce "cold war thinking." 

As of writing, many speculations claimed that the U.S.-China tensions would worsen in the following years. 

Even Gen. Mike Minihan, the U.S. Air Mobility Command head, warned that there would be a huge conflict between China and the U.S. in 2025, as reported by the Japan Times

You can click this link to see what Minihan believes would happen. 

While U.S. and China officials are trying to prevent the tensions in the South China Sea, other countries are enhancing their defenses. 

Previously, Canada's billion-dollar deal for F-35 fighter jets had been secured. 

We also reported about Iran's new Point Blank drone, which looks like the X-Wing from "Star Wars."

For more news updates about defense, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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