China, U.S. resume defense talks after 18 months suspension

[Communist]

China, U.S. resume defense talks after 18 months suspension_English_Xinhua

China, U.S. resume defense talks after 18 months suspension

·China and the U.S. on Tuesday held the highest-level defense dialogue in Beijing.
·The last such meeting was in December 2007.
·The two-day talks will also cover the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Defense officials from China and the United States met here Tuesday for the first highest-level defense dialogue since the Obama administration took office.

"This is an important meeting held at a crucial moment, " said Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, at the beginning of the 10th round of Sino-U.S. defense consultations.

The 11-member U.S. delegation was led by Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy, who is in charge of the formulation of national security and defense policy.

The exchanges between the two armed forces have gone through difficulties and setbacks since China and the U.S. forged diplomatic ties 30 years ago, Ma told Flournoy.

"Looking forward, we believe that our military ties will surmount the difficulties and continue moving forward under the framework of the positive, cooperative and comprehensive Sino-U.S. relationship," he added.

The Sino-U.S. defense consultations were suspended after the Bush administration announced a 6.5-billion-U.S.-dollar arms package for Taiwan last year.

High-level military talks resumed in February, when David Sedney, a U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense, visited Beijing.

This round talks marks the resumption of the deputy-ministerial level defense consultations. The last such meeting was in December 2007.

Ma said the Chinese side is willing to exchange views in a candid and practical way with the U.S. delegation on the issues of common concern.

Before the talks, the Chinese Defense Ministry said the two sides will talk on bilateral military relations, Taiwan issues, international and regional security issues and other issues of common concern.

The two-day talks will also cover the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a routine news briefing Tuesday afternoon.

"Under the current situation, it is natural for China and the U.S. to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Qin. "We take this consultation seriously and hope that positive results may come out of it."

Among the Chinese participants were officers from the army, navy and air force as well as some military scholars.

The U.S. delegation to the talks included officials from the Defense Department, the State Department, the Pacific Command and the Joint Chief of Staff.

Since its inception in 1997, the mechanism has become an important channel for the two defense ministries to enhance mutual trust, communication and cooperation.

Flournoy will also meet Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie before leaving for Seoul of the Republic of Korea Friday.

 

[Communist]

AFP: US and China meet for defence talks

US and China meet for defence talks

BEIJING (AFP) — US and Chinese defence officials met in Beijing for talks in which the Americans were expected to nudge China towards supporting more pressure on North Korea.

The US delegation led by Michele Flournoy, under-secretary for defence, was also expected to push for closer US-China defence ties following concerns in Washington over Beijing's expanding military and recent stand-offs at sea.

"China and the US discussing the situation on the Korean Peninsula is a natural thing and we take this consultation very seriously, and hope that we can get positive results out of it," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington over the weekend that "North Korea will factor in very strongly" in the talks.

"We would hope that China would use whatever influence they have with North Korea to convince them to change their behaviour," he added.

The UN Security Council earlier this month imposed new financial sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang last month carried out its second nuclear test and several missile launches.

China, which borders North Korea, is the isolated state's main ally.

Beijing has always favoured cautious diplomacy with Pyongyang, wary of causing its hardline regime to collapse, potentially sending millions of refugees streaming over its border. However, it supported the UN resolution.

North Korea has reacted defiantly to the sanctions, vowing to build more nuclear bombs, scuppering international efforts to denuclearise it.

The Chinese side was expected to be led by Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, the China Daily said.

The meetings come amid recent tensions in Sino-US military relations with vessels confronting each other in tense standoffs in the South China Sea this year.

The confrontations triggered US accusations of "aggressive" Chinese behavior while China complained the US navy had violated maritime law.

The US official said Washington wanted more high-level visits by Chinese defence officials to the United States "so we can understand their continuing (military) build-up."

The China Daily quoted a Chinese military source as saying both sides had "the same need for cooperation," adding the talks would also touch on Afghanistan and Taiwan.

China cut off military exchanges between the two countries in October 2008 over planned US arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its sovereign territory.

The two sides, however, resumed military talks in February.

Shi Yinhong, director of the Centre for American Studies at Beijing's People's University, told AFP China's key concern in the talks was new US President Barack Obama's stance on Taiwan.

"China is concerned about... whether the US will change its Taiwan policy and the potential arms sales to Taiwan," he said.

The United States has regularly sold arms to Taiwan in the past, in what it says is a bid to preserve stability across the strait, but the moves have always angered China.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.

 

[Communist]

 

[Communist]