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Top US commander in the Pacific holds talks in Beijing

The top US military commander in the Asia-Pacific region met Chinese officials yesterday on his first visit since Beijing refused permission for a US aircraft carrier to make a holiday port call in Hong Kong.

Admiral Timothy Keating, head of the US Pacific Command, arrived on his second visit to Beijing since he took up his post in March.

He conferred with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎) in a closed meeting early yesterday. US and Chinese officials did not immediately disclose details of the meeting.

He was set to meet top military officials later yesterday before going to Shanghai today and then Guangdong Province.

The visit came after China turned away the USS Kitty Hawk and five ships accompanying it for a Hong Kong port call in November.

During the same week, two US Navy minesweepers were also turned away after seeking shelter during a storm.

China had hinted that its actions were triggered by the US Congress honoring the Dalai Lama and US arms sales to Taiwan. China views the Dalai Lama as a "splittist" intent on separating Tibet from China.

Keating was also expected to meet General Chen Bingde (陳炳德), the new chief of general staff in charge of day-to-day operations for the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission General Guo Boxiong (郭伯雄) and Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian (馬曉天), deputy chief of the general staff for foreign affairs.

Their discussions were expected to center on China-US military ties, Taiwan and international and regional issues, the official China Daily newspaper said.

"China has a positive attitude toward developing military relations with the US and hopes Keating's visit could further enhance understanding, expand consensus and boost cooperation, so as to promote the steady growth of military ties in the new year," the newspaper said, quoting a statement from China's defense ministry.
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