BEIJING - One of China's top
generals said Monday that it
was up to the United States to
change its policies if it wants
better ties with China's
military, and he offered a
lukewarm endorsement of
U.S. programs designed to
bring the two sides closer
together.
Chinese Minister of Defense
Liang Guanglie made the
comments after two hours of
talks with U.S. Secretary of
Defense Robert M. Gates, who
is on his first trip to China
since 2007. Gates is on a
mission to restore high-level
military contacts with the
People's Liberation Army after
Beijing's decision to cut those
ties a year ago, when the
United States announced a
$6.4 billion arms sale to
Taiwan .
Liang also denied that China's
military modernization - and
its development of systems
such as an aircraft-carrier-
killing ballistic missile, anti-
satellite weapons and a new
stealth fighter - posed a
threat to the United States.
"We cannot call ourselves an
advanced military country,"
Liang told reporters. "The gap
between us and advanced
countries is at least two to
three decades."
Liang reacted tepidly to
Gates's proposal that the U.S.
and Chinese militaries engage
in a wide-ranging strategic
dialogue on nuclear posture,
cyberwarfare and North
Korea, saying the PLA was
"studying it."
He did announce that one of
China's most senior generals,
Chen Bingde, the chief of the
PLA's general staff, would
travel to the United States
during the first half of this
year. But, contrary to the
wishes of Liang's American
counterparts, he did not
specify a date for the trip.
Liang also reiterated the PLA's
commitment to pursuing joint
work with the U.S. military on
counterterrorism,
counterpiracy, humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief.
But those issues had been
agreed upon already during
the last high-level meeting
between the two sides in
October 2009.
Despite Liang's responses,
Gates - who has dealt with
China for decades and, as a
senior CIA official, was one of
the architects of an earlier,
very productive intelligence
relationship with Beijing -
pronounced himself pleased
with the talks.
"I am confident," Gates said,
"that we are on the road to
fulfilling the mandate that our
two presidents have given us
to strengthen the military-to-
military relationship."
Asked whether he had
changed his position that the
PLA was the main impediment
to better military ties, Gates
said he was "optimistic" that
the PLA "is as committed to
fulfilling the mandate of our
two presidents as I am."
Liang's lukewarm reaction to
Gates's proposals reflects a
continued uncertainty within
the PLA about whether to
embrace better ties with the
United States; it also
underscores the sense that
the PLA was strong-armed by
China's political leadership
into welcoming Gates on this
trip.
Gates was rebuffed by the PLA
in June when he tried to come to Beijing.
But Chinese President Hu
Jintao travels to Washington
next week for his second - and
probably last - summit with
President Obama and, as part
of his legacy, needs to have
military ties restored. Hu is
expected to step down in 2012,
making way for a new
generation of leaders.
Gates and others in the U.S.
government have long argued
that the United States and
China need to improve
military ties in order to lessen
the possibility that
miscalculation or
misunderstanding could lead
to war.
The Obama administration got
a taste of the potential
dangers less than two months
after coming into office when
Chinese merchant ships
menaced and then narrowly
missed ramming a U.S. Navy
reconnaissance vessel in
international waters off
China's southern coast.
For years, U.S. officials also
have sought talks with China's
military on its nuclear
weapons and other sensitive
issues, including contingencies
on the Korean Peninsula.
For example, should the North
Korean government collapse,
U.S. officials have argued, it
would be critical for
Washington and Beijing to
understand each other as U.S.
troops moved north or China's
soldiers moved south. To this
end, Gates will visit the
headquarters of China's
strategic rocket forces, called
the 2nd Artillery, on
Wednesday as part of his
ongoing efforts to persuade
China to engage in talks.
But the PLA seems conflicted
about such a dialogue and has
chosen twice over the past
three years - in 2008 and 2010
- to suspend military ties after
Washington announced arms
sales to Taiwan.
When it broke ties the second
time last January, the PLA laid
out three conditions that
Washington had to fulfill if it
wanted the suspension lifted.
The United States, it said, had
to stop weapons sales to
Taiwan, end its naval and air-
based surveillance activities
off China's coast and do away
with laws and regulations that
restrict U.S. interaction with
China's military.
Washington has done none of
the above, but thanks to Hu's
political exigencies, ties have
been restored anyway. Still,
Liang put the onus on the
Pentagon if it wants further
progress. And he refused to
rule out additional suspensions
if Washington sells another
batch of weapons to Taiwan.
"We hope," Liang said, "that
the U.S. side will pay sufficient
attention to the concerns of
the Chinese side and take
measure to gradually remove
or reduce obstacles that stand
in the way of our military-
military relations."
Source: Http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006158.html
generals said Monday that it
was up to the United States to
change its policies if it wants
better ties with China's
military, and he offered a
lukewarm endorsement of
U.S. programs designed to
bring the two sides closer
together.
Chinese Minister of Defense
Liang Guanglie made the
comments after two hours of
talks with U.S. Secretary of
Defense Robert M. Gates, who
is on his first trip to China
since 2007. Gates is on a
mission to restore high-level
military contacts with the
People's Liberation Army after
Beijing's decision to cut those
ties a year ago, when the
United States announced a
$6.4 billion arms sale to
Taiwan .
Liang also denied that China's
military modernization - and
its development of systems
such as an aircraft-carrier-
killing ballistic missile, anti-
satellite weapons and a new
stealth fighter - posed a
threat to the United States.
"We cannot call ourselves an
advanced military country,"
Liang told reporters. "The gap
between us and advanced
countries is at least two to
three decades."
Liang reacted tepidly to
Gates's proposal that the U.S.
and Chinese militaries engage
in a wide-ranging strategic
dialogue on nuclear posture,
cyberwarfare and North
Korea, saying the PLA was
"studying it."
He did announce that one of
China's most senior generals,
Chen Bingde, the chief of the
PLA's general staff, would
travel to the United States
during the first half of this
year. But, contrary to the
wishes of Liang's American
counterparts, he did not
specify a date for the trip.
Liang also reiterated the PLA's
commitment to pursuing joint
work with the U.S. military on
counterterrorism,
counterpiracy, humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief.
But those issues had been
agreed upon already during
the last high-level meeting
between the two sides in
October 2009.
Despite Liang's responses,
Gates - who has dealt with
China for decades and, as a
senior CIA official, was one of
the architects of an earlier,
very productive intelligence
relationship with Beijing -
pronounced himself pleased
with the talks.
"I am confident," Gates said,
"that we are on the road to
fulfilling the mandate that our
two presidents have given us
to strengthen the military-to-
military relationship."
Asked whether he had
changed his position that the
PLA was the main impediment
to better military ties, Gates
said he was "optimistic" that
the PLA "is as committed to
fulfilling the mandate of our
two presidents as I am."
Liang's lukewarm reaction to
Gates's proposals reflects a
continued uncertainty within
the PLA about whether to
embrace better ties with the
United States; it also
underscores the sense that
the PLA was strong-armed by
China's political leadership
into welcoming Gates on this
trip.
Gates was rebuffed by the PLA
in June when he tried to come to Beijing.
But Chinese President Hu
Jintao travels to Washington
next week for his second - and
probably last - summit with
President Obama and, as part
of his legacy, needs to have
military ties restored. Hu is
expected to step down in 2012,
making way for a new
generation of leaders.
Gates and others in the U.S.
government have long argued
that the United States and
China need to improve
military ties in order to lessen
the possibility that
miscalculation or
misunderstanding could lead
to war.
The Obama administration got
a taste of the potential
dangers less than two months
after coming into office when
Chinese merchant ships
menaced and then narrowly
missed ramming a U.S. Navy
reconnaissance vessel in
international waters off
China's southern coast.
For years, U.S. officials also
have sought talks with China's
military on its nuclear
weapons and other sensitive
issues, including contingencies
on the Korean Peninsula.
For example, should the North
Korean government collapse,
U.S. officials have argued, it
would be critical for
Washington and Beijing to
understand each other as U.S.
troops moved north or China's
soldiers moved south. To this
end, Gates will visit the
headquarters of China's
strategic rocket forces, called
the 2nd Artillery, on
Wednesday as part of his
ongoing efforts to persuade
China to engage in talks.
But the PLA seems conflicted
about such a dialogue and has
chosen twice over the past
three years - in 2008 and 2010
- to suspend military ties after
Washington announced arms
sales to Taiwan.
When it broke ties the second
time last January, the PLA laid
out three conditions that
Washington had to fulfill if it
wanted the suspension lifted.
The United States, it said, had
to stop weapons sales to
Taiwan, end its naval and air-
based surveillance activities
off China's coast and do away
with laws and regulations that
restrict U.S. interaction with
China's military.
Washington has done none of
the above, but thanks to Hu's
political exigencies, ties have
been restored anyway. Still,
Liang put the onus on the
Pentagon if it wants further
progress. And he refused to
rule out additional suspensions
if Washington sells another
batch of weapons to Taiwan.
"We hope," Liang said, "that
the U.S. side will pay sufficient
attention to the concerns of
the Chinese side and take
measure to gradually remove
or reduce obstacles that stand
in the way of our military-
military relations."
Source: Http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006158.html
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