As tensions rise in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, it would be comforting to think that there are communication tools in place to help manage and dial down anxieties. Don’t get too comfortable.
Speaking last week to the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell warned that inadequate military crisis communication systems between the United States and China could lead to “inadvertent escalation” in the Indo-Pacific. He, like many others, believes that miscalculations created or compounded by poor communication are the biggest risk the region faces.
Both governments have pledged to fix the problem but progress has been elusive.