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US, China set up military `hotline' during Gates visit

China and the US agreed yesterday to open a military hotline as US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates held talks in Beijing that aimed to strengthen ties overshadowed by distrust.

Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan (曹剛川) said the two countries had directed technical experts to press ahead with consultations, but neither gave a timeline for when the link might be put into place.

"We reached agreement on the implementation of a direct telephone link between our two defense establishments," Gates told reporters following a meeting with Cao.

Xinhua news agency said the link was the first of its kind that Beijing has established with another country at the defense ministry level.

China has stated that its annual military spending rose 17.8 percent this year to US$45 billion.

But the Pentagon believes China's military budget is as high as US$125 billion a year.

Gates also called for China to step up its role in international diplomacy, adding he had raised issues such as North Korea, Iran and Sudan in his talks with Cao.

"China's increasing political and economic stature calls for this country to take on a greater share of responsibility for the health and success of the international system," he said.

Before Gates' arrival in Beijing, President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) urged fast development of China's strategic military forces, state press said yesterday.

Hu made his comments while meeting China's strategic missile force on Sunday, when he also called on the military to maintain its obedience to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People's Liberation Army Daily said.

"We must continue to hold our [party's] banner high ... and starting from the new historic period push forward the good and fast development of the second artillery corps," the paper quoted Hu as saying.

A Chinese anti-satellite test in January, advances in cyber-warfare and the development of missiles capable of striking US naval forces and air bases from long range have fueled the unease, US officials said.

In his talks with the military, Hu reiterated the CCP's command over the military in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the party's Central Military Commission, the paper said.

"We must comprehensively strengthen the party organization of the military, continue to upgrade the creativity, cohesiveness and fighting spirit of our party organization and lead the second artillery corps towards a new period of construction," Hu said.

Gates is scheduled to meet Hu today, before visiting South Korea and Japan.
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