Clock Ticking to Resolve Taiwan

The ongoing military dialogue between the United States and China is certainly the most sensitive and politically important concern of the two countries. It is the punctus puncti (the point of the point), as scholastic Medieval theologians would put it - the one thing that, if fixed, would put every other topic in place. This is a complicated and delicate matter, but, at least according to recent reports, two issues particularly stick out - the reciprocal rules of conduct during surveillance missions and arms sales to Taiwan.

The issue of rules of conduct is tricky, but less sensitive. Here, technical and cultural issues are enmeshed. Technically, the two militaries, particularly their navies and air forces, have to discuss a protocol of behavior when they meet in international air space or waters during what are and will be essentially US surveillance