US National Security Adviser Susan Rice repeatedly raised concerns about risky Chinese fighter intercepts of US surveillance flights in meetings this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing, senior administration officials said yesterday.
The matter appeared to be one of a relatively few contentious issues raised during a visit intended to lay the groundwork for US President Barack Obama’s trip to Beijing in November for an APEC summit and a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Overall, the talks “helped lay a really great foundation” for Obama’s trip, said a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Reuters
Rice’s comments on fighter intercepts mark the second time the US has raised the issue with China in the past two weeks, underscoring US concerns about the danger of a collision and the effect such an incident could have on relations.
In a meeting yesterday with the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, General Fang Changlong (范長龍), Rice said their two countries “face challenges and we certainly need to avoid any incidents that could complicate the relationship.”
“Military-to-military ties between the United States and China have grown and strengthened. And it is an area of cooperation that the United States values,” Rice said in her opening remarks.
US administration officials declined to characterize the Chinese officials’ response, but said they appeared to understand US concerns.
The officials said the two sides agreed to work on confidence building measures to reduce suspicions, but offered no details.
“I’d say we had a constructive conversation with the Chinese” on the issue, said a US official, who added that Rice raised the issue both with Fan and in Monday’s meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪).
US officials said Rice discussed a wide range of issues including economic ties, democracy in Hong Kong and the rise of the radical group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
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