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Rumsfeld in Beijing, kicking off China visit
(Xinhua/AFP)
Updated: 2005-10-18 14:02
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here Tuesday afternoon, kicking
off his three-day China visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart.
Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld smiles as he leaves a conference in Key Biscayne, Florida October
12, 2005. Rumsfeld arrived in Beijing Tuesday for Beijing a three-day
visit. [Reuters] | This is Rumsfeld's first visit
to China as Defense Secretary since his accession to the post in January 2001,
and the second arrival of US Defense Secretary since 2000. It is aimed at
stepping up the process of improving military ties from the low in 2001
following a collision between a US EP-3 surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter
jet.
"China is an important country in the region; it's a country that's
increasingly important in the world," Rumsfeld told reporters aboard his plane
en route from Washington to Beijing.
During his stay, Rumsfeld is
expected to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and hold talks with Chinese
Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.
Rumsfeld said he looked forward to his Beijing meetings to
learn more about Chinese leaders' vision of the future, particularly with regard
to their military modernization and their willingness to share
information.
Both sides will discuss issues concerning China-US relations, including the
Taiwan question and Sino-US military cooperation and other bilateral and
multilateral issues of common concern.
Analysts believed Rumsfeld's visit will be conducive to the further
improvement of the ties between the two countries and two armies.
But
senior US defense officials said last week they did not expect any major
breakthroughs during the visit, but welcomed a serious high-level dialogue with
China.
One senior defense official said Rumsfeld's visit would likely be a
"non-euphoric encounter."
![US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld waves as he walks into a hotel in Beijing October 18, 2005. [Reuters]](xin_451002181429644249113.jpg)
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld waves
as he walks into a hotel in Beijing October 18, 2005.
[Reuters] | Rumsfeld's discussions will also
prepare the ground for a scheduled visit to China by President George W. Bush in
late November.
After a US request, the Chinese agreed to allow Rumsfeld to visit the Beijing
headquarters of China's strategic rocket forces, something no American defense
secretary has done before, officials said.
But the Chinese turned down a request to visit Western Hills, the defense
ministry's command center in Beijing, they said.
The United States has pressed Beijing to be more open about its military
activities to reduce the risks of miscalculation. It has proposed establishing a
telephone hotline between the US and Chinese defense establishments, but the
idea has not been embraced by Beijing.
An effort to work out rules to avert potential incidents at sea is only now
getting underway, more than four years after the EP-3 incident, officials said.
Besides military ties, Rumsfeld also will discuss North Korea with his
Chinese hosts, emphasizing US insistence on the verification of Pyongyang's
pledge to abandon its nuclear program, the officials said.
Beijing and Washington have been working closely to convince Pyongyang to
abandon its nuclear weapons program.
After China, Rumsfeld will also visit South Korea, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and
Lithuania in the week-long trip.
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