China trying to drive U.S. militarily out of Asia: US official

China wants to drive the U.S. military out of Asia, and operates under a different strategic culture from that of the United States, a former State Department official has said.

Kurt Campbell made the comments while recently explaining why 20 years of Pentagon efforts to build trust with the Chinese military have been difficult.

According to the Washington Times, Campbell, a long-time Asia policymaker at both State and the Pentagon, said the danger of a U.S.-China military confrontation was highlighted on December 5 when a guided-missile destroyer USS Cowpens and a Chinese warship were about to collide in the South China Sea.

Campbell said at a meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a local incident is more likely to produce a future U.S.-China crisis.

He noted that the Cowpens almost collided, literally less than 100 yards, from a Chinese vessel that went across its bow.

For nearly two decades, the U.S. has tried to hold talks with China on maritime rules.

According to the report, moreover, tensions between China's military and the Communist Party have made it difficult for Chinese military officials to engage their U.S. counterparts the way our four-stars do on a regular basis.

An agreement outlining military operating rules in Asia would give the U.S. greater confidence and undermine Chinese efforts to drive U.S. forces out of the region.

The challenge of the next 20 years, he noted, will be to try and reach common ground with Beijing on military issues.

Campbell said that for the United States, success in dealing with China would require a concerted political and military effort as well as close ties to allies, the report added.