Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian said Thursday that China is
ready to make joint efforts with the US to improve military
relations.
He
stated this during a meeting with Peter W. Rodman, assistant
secretary of the US defense department. Rodman also expressed the
same view on bilateral military relations.
"The US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has dispatched me here
to explore ways to promote relations between the two armed forces,"
Rodman said.
Rodman is the highest US defense official to visit China since the
collision between a US surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter
plane last April.
Sino-US military relations have had their ups and downs over the
past two years and Chi said that the US should take full
responsibility for the twists and turns in bilateral ties.
"We hope that the two sides will pay full consideration to the
development of Sino-US military relations and develop military
cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and trust," he
added.
This year, the Chinese and the US presidents have met twice in four
months, reached consensus on developing constructive and
cooperative relations, and given their support to the development
of military relations.
Earlier this year, Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao visited the US,
and reached common ground with Rumsfeld on improving contact
between the two armed forces.
Chi said that China and the US are both influential countries and
both shoulder responsibility for world peace and human development,
and therefore developing stable and healthy Sino-US
relations would be in the interest of the peoples of the two
countries.
He
said that Chinese military values the relationship with its US
counterpart, and over two decades of contact between the two armed
forces have promoted mutual understanding, reduced the differences
and mistrust, improved their friendship, and pushed forward
relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, Chi, also vice chairman of the Central Military
Commission and a state councilor, reaffirmed the Chinese
government's stance on the Taiwan issue,
the most important and sensitive issue in Sino-US relations.
He
said that China will settle the Taiwan issue according to "peaceful
reunification, one country and two systems," and the eight
proposals raised by President Jiang Zemin, and China's stance on
the issue is unambiguous and consistent.
He
stressed that the Taiwan issue relates to Chinese territorial
integrity, and China hopes that the US will conscientiously observe
the three Sino-US joint communiquis, adhere to the one-China policy
and handle the Taiwan issue correctly so as to play a constructive
role in promoting peaceful reunification.
Chi expressed appreciation for the reiteration by the US defense
department on one-China policy and on its not supporting Taiwan's
independence.
Rodman arrived in Beijing Tuesday evening, and Xiong Guangkai,
deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's
Liberation Army, and Li Zhaoxing, vice foreign minister met with
him Wednesday. Zhan Maohai, director of the foreign affairs office
of the national defense ministry, also held talks with him.
Rodman said that his talks with the Chinese side are "frank" and
"constructive".
He
said that relations between the US and China are important, and the
US hopes to further improve the military relations with China.
(Xinhua News
Agency June 28, 2002)