US, China agree to Asia defense rules to avoid air crashes

Bloomberg

Defense chiefs from the US and China agreed in principle to guidelines on encounters between warplanes, in the latest bid by Pacific nations to keep increased military activity from escalating into conflict.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and seven other regional military chiefs, including China’s General Wei Fenghe, gave broad endorsement to the rules in Singapore on Saturday, during an meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The non-binding guidelines had been formally adopted a day earlier by defense ministers from ASEAN’s 10 member nations.
The document, which follows similar guidelines on naval encounters signed in 2014, urges military planes to establish communication with other aircraft, identify themselves and avoid maneuvers or signals that could provoke a response. “These guidelines will help reduce the likelihood of encounters or incidents spiraling into conflict in the event of a
miscalculation,” it said.
The 18-member ASEAN-Plus Eight Partners also include Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia and South Korea. The full grouping could formally adopt
the air-encounter guidelines during next year’s ASEAN meetings in Thailand.
The rules represent the latest attempt to manage a surge in military activity in the Western Pacific as China’s extends its naval and air reach. The US has stepped up its presence to assert free navigation rights in the South China Sea and other waters claimed by Beijing.
“Once a mishap occurs, there’s a dynamic that ensues that you cannot control,” Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen, who led the meetings, told reporters on Saturday.