Qian, Powell scuffle over arms issues

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) warned the US that sales of advanced destroyers equipped with AEGIS systems to Taiwan would violate the three communiques that have formed the legal basis for the trilateral Beijing, Taipei, Washington relationship for the past two decades.

The warning came as the two countries began their highest-level discussions yet in Washington on Wednesday, as Qian and Secretary of State Colin Powell sparred over arms sales to Taiwan, missile defense, human rights and other issues for much of the evening.

A spokeswoman for Qian, Zhang Qiyue (章啟月), however, later described the talks as "quite useful and constructive."

The prospect of a US decision next month to sell Taiwan four advanced destroyers equipped with sophisticated AEGIS radar and battle management systems apparently caused the most friction, as the Chinese side held that any sale would be a violation of historic US pledges made to Beijing over its specific commitments to Taiwan.

"I think it is quite obvious that the sale of advanced weapons to Taiwan is in violation of the joint communiques," Zhang said at a late-night briefing. She was referring to three communiques signed by Washington and Beijing after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1978 in which the US reserved the right to continue selling defensive arms to Taiwan.

Zhang referred repeatedly to the "August 17" communique signed by former US president Ronald Reagan in 1982. "In that," Zhang said, "the United States committed to reduce sales of weapons, both quantitatively and qualitatively and over time until the final solution to the issue" of cross-strait relations was reached.

Qian said he hoped "the US side will continue to abide by the communiques, especially the communique called the August 17 communique ... so as not to hamper China-US relations."

Taiwan "has always been the most important and core issue in our relationship with the United States, and over the years, various administrations all have adhered to the 'one China' policy and abided by the three joint communiques," Zhang quoted Qian as saying.

The US' plans to build a massive national missile defense (NMD) system also raised the hackles of Qian who urged that Washington not go ahead with the plans.

"Deployment of NMD will not be conducive to world peace, development and stability, and it will also undermine the global strategic balance and stability," Qian told Powell, according to Zhang.

The Chinese vice premier also lobbied against a possible theater missile defense that would extend to Taiwan, saying Beijing views the possibility with "very serious concern."

"That would be an encroachment on Chinese sovereignty and it would not be conducive to peace along the Taiwan Strait, and it will not be conducive to peace and stability in Asia and the world as a whole," Zhang said.

At the end of the meeting, Qian invited Powell to visit China later this year, and the secretary accepted. In fact, Powell will visit China twice this year, once with US President George W. Bush to the APEC meeting in October and once on his own.

The climax of Qian's three-day visit to Washington comes today, when he is scheduled to spend an hour with George W. Bush in the afternoon, preceded by a breakfast with a small group of senators and a Pentagon meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.