ABSTRACT
About thirty years ago, China and the United States began to establish a cooperative military relationship to deal with a common threat from the Soviet Union. This relationship was asymmetric but stable in terms of nuclear deterrence capability and conventional military power. In 1 980s-l 990s, China and the United States had maintained a relatively stable military relationship even though there were political stalemates after the Tiananmen Square incident in 1 989 and during the Taiwan Strait crises in 1 995-1996. However, the fundamental dispute over the Taiwan issue and China's multi-faceted rise in late 1 990s deepened mistrust and misperception between the two powers . Since taking office in 200 1 , Bush government has been not only reassessing the role of China's military power, but also taking corresponding military actions including deploying the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program. Also the adjustment of U.S . military strategy in the Western Pacific in recent years aimed at containing or at least hedging against China's increasing military power will be vital in shaping the future of bilateral relations and regional security as well. Can the asymmetric but stable bilateral military relationship be maintained in the new century? And how? The chapter will explore the evolution of the current security dilemma, and also reassess the international environment for China's rise from the perspective of China-U.S . military relationship.
