US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his Chinese counterpart will meet next week at a security conference in Vietnam, Beijing confirmed yesterday, in a sign military ties are back on track.
Relations between the two countries have repeatedly stalled, with Beijing canceling scheduled visits or exchanges as a way of protesting at Washington’s policies, notably US arms sales to Taiwan.
China agreed to resume military-to-military relations after a 10-month break following talks with a senior US defense official last week in Beijing.
Chinese Minister of National Defense Liang Guanglie (梁光烈) “is scheduled” to meet with Gates on the fringes of the ASEAN meeting in Hanoi, Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese defense ministry official Guan Youfei (關友飛) as saying.
The Pentagon had earlier said the meeting was likely, but had not been officially confirmed.
“I think both sides clearly wish to have such a meeting,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
In addition US and Chinese officials are hopeful that Gates will visit Beijing in the coming months, possibly early next year, he said.
The Chinese have offered an invitation and US officials planned to report back with possible dates for a visit by the Pentagon chief, Morrell said.
“Our expectation is that we would be able to travel and engage with the Chinese as soon as possible,” he said.
Zhu Feng (朱鋒), a US expert at Peking University’s School of International Studies, called the announcement a “very important sign” that Washington and Beijing were on the right track.
“A meeting of the two defense ministers could signal a new beginning to more pragmatic exchanges,” Zhu said.
US and Chinese military officials plan to meet about safety and communications issues at sea at a meeting on Thursday and Friday next week in Hawaii, followed by defense talks later in the year in Washington.
Beijing suspended military exchanges in January after the US administration unveiled plans to sell US$6.4 billion in military hardware to Taiwan.
More recently, China has objected to US military exercises with South Korea in the Yellow Sea, part of renewed cooperation between Washington and Seoul in the face of tensions with North Korea.
Gates has criticized China for suspending ties over the US approach to Taiwan, saying a permanent dialogue was too important to be “held hostage” to Washington’s weapons sales to Taipei.
The resumption of defense ties also comes as smaller nations in the region have sought support from the US in response to Beijing’s assertive stance over disputed waters.
“China is not only concerned about weapons sales to Taiwan, but also the security situation in Southeast Asia. More exchanges mean there will be more chances to consult on these issues,” Zhu said.
US officials are anxious about China’s growing military reach, including its anti-ship missiles and fleet of submarines and have pressed Beijing to be more transparent about its defense spending.
China’s military doctrine has traditionally emphasized the ability to strike within an area extending to Japan’s Ryukyu island chain and throughout the South China Sea east of Vietnam, the report said.
However, Chinese strategists are now looking to expand their reach further to be able to hit targets such as mainland Japan and the Philippines, it said.
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