Rumsfeld heads to China for military talks
Dated 18/10/2005
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US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to arrive in China for talks on military relations as Beijing pursues an arms buildup that worries Washington.
The visit is Rumsfeld's first to China since taking office nearly five years ago. 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.
There is growing US concern over China's military buildup that the Pentagon says is tipping the balance of power against Taiwan and appears aimed at checking US military power in the region.
Rumsfeld was scheduled to arrive at 1:00pm local time (0500 GMT). No meetings were planned for Tuesday but he was set to meet Wednesday with Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and President Hu Jintao.
China still claims Taiwan as its territory awaiting reunification, despite the island being ruled separately since 1949 following a civil war, and has vowed to take back Taiwan by force if necessary.
A US defense official told reporters there was "uncertainty not just in Washington but in the region about China's strategic direction (and) the intentions that underlie its military buildup."
The buildup was detailed in a July Pentagon report that said China's military spending was two to three times greater than publicly acknowledged.
It estimated Chinese defense spending at 90 billion dollars this year, putting it third in the world after Russia and the United States.
The report was denounced by China as interference in its internal affairs and an attempt to foment discord with its neighbors.
It was unclear whether the Taiwan issue will come up in discussions during Rumsfeld's visit, but Beijing sees the issue as the most sensitive subject in Sino-US relations.
It fears the issue could potentially drag the United States and China into war if the US intervenes in a conflict between Beijing and Taipei.
Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers
