The United States proposes direct military collaboration with China
China's reaction has been lukewarm; they seem more interested in more collaboration in the aerospace and economic sectors.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) The United States and China are discussing direct military collaboration. This was revealed by US MPs who met China's Defence Minister, Cao Gangchuan, in Beijing on 10 January.
The two parties are drawing up the agenda for a summit to be held in April between Presidents Hu Jintao and George W. Bush, which will also tackle trade and intellectual property rights. "The overall mission is to build on the diplomatic relationship and explore new areas of co-operation between the United States and China - in trade, space and the military," said the co-chairman of the group of MPs, Mark Kirk. However, he added, Washington's proposal to set up a direct military hotline with Beijing was not welcomed. The two countries broke off military ties in 2001 after the midair collision of an American surveillance plane with a Chinese fighter jet. They have been gradually restored in the past two years.
China was more receptive of a proposal to modify the Shenzhou space capsule so it would be able to dock with any US space vehicle or the International Space Station. China also delivered on earlier promises, including the setting up of the post of intellectual-property-rights ombudsman and acquiring non-pirated software worth 250 million yuan.
Last July, the Pentagon drew attention to Beijing's rapid military development and warned about the possibility that it intended to acquire more power in Asia. In recent years, China has also been accused by Washington of selling arms to other States. Sri Lanka has just been reported by some sources to have bought new naval guns from Beijing after the suicide attack on 7 January which rammed a boat full of explosives into a patrol boat which had left Trincomalee harbour. Thirteen sailors died in the attack which was attributed to the Tamil Tigers. China is regular supplier of arms to Sri Lanka.
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03/07/2017 09:22
