The new commander of US military forces in the Pacific said that the US wants to continue building closer ties with Chinese forces and called for more extensive and sophisticated military exchanges and joint exercises between the countries.
Admiral Timothy Keating, making his first visit to Beijing as commander of the US Pacific Command, emphasized the need for military friendship and cooperation between China and the US, even as he raised concerns about an anti-satellite test early this year by China.
Keating said he had discussed the issue on Friday with China's highest-ranking general, Guo Boxiong (郭伯雄).
He said Guo characterized the test as nonthreatening and scientific in nature. Keating described the test as the opposite of China's stated goal of a "peaceful rise" and called it a "confusing signal."
"We agreed, each of us, to hold to our different perspectives," Keating said on Saturday morning during a news briefing at the US embassy in Beijing.
In January, China fired a ground-based missile into space and destroyed one of its own aging satellites. It was an unannounced anti-satellite test that brought international condemnation, but it also demonstrated a newfound military ability that had been achieved only by the US and the former Soviet Union.
Keating, who on March 26 took command of US forces in the Pacific, said he would visit China's 179th army brigade in Nanjing yesterday. He said no joint exercises were currently scheduled between the countries, but he predicted that such exchanges would be scheduled soon.
His predecessor, Admiral William Fallon, now the chief of the Central Command in Iraq, had emphasized building closer ties with China, a priority Keating said he intended to maintain.
Last year, the two countries conducted search-and-rescue exercises, while the US also was host to the Chinese navy at Pearl Harbor.
Keating said he hoped the US military would have a better opportunity to visit different Chinese military bases around the country, as opposed to only more formal visits in Beijing.
"The improvement in China's military is significant," he said. "They are getting better. The equipment, the hardware that China is fielding, is improving."
Beijing has upgraded its military hardware and is reportedly considering efforts to build its own aircraft carrier.
Keating's itinerary included sightseeing on Saturday, as well as a visit to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) National Defense University. On Friday he also met Zhang Qinsheng (章沁生), deputy chief of the PLA.
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