China’s army chief of staff to visit US in May

Chinese Chief of Staff General Chen Bingde © AFP/Pool/File Andy Wong

AFP

BEIJING (AFP) – China said Thursday its army chief of staff would visit the United States in May, as the two countries try to bolster military relations amid their growing rivalry.

“The two armies are now faced with new opportunities for development of their relations,” defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told reporters as China released a white paper outlining its defence policy.

He said Chen Bingde, chief of staff at the People’s Liberation Army, would visit the United States in May as part of efforts to strengthen military ties — a major point of friction in wider Sino-US relations.

Tensions soared early last year when China suspended high-level defence contacts with the United States over Washington’s sale of more than $6 billion in arms to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory.

Tentative plans for US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to visit were subsequently called off, but he finally came to China in January this year — his first trip to Beijing since 2007.

Geng said there were plans for more meetings between the two defence departments this year.

US military leaders and China’s neighbours are increasingly anxious about the People’s Liberation Army’s pursuit of sophisticated missiles, satellites, cyber-weapons and fighter jets.

India’s defence minister last month expressed “serious concern” over China’s growing military might.

Japan, meanwhile, has repeatedly questioned Beijing’s military intentions, especially after collisions in disputed waters in September between two Japanese coastguard boats and a Chinese fishing vessel sparked a major row.

Amplifying these concerns, China this month announced a renewed double-digit hike in military spending in 2011 after funding slowed last year, saying the budget would rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion).

But Beijing has repeatedly sought to alleviate these fears, stressing that the nation’s defence policy is “defensive in nature.”

“At present and even in the future, no matter how developed China is, China will never seek hegemony or pursue expansionist policies,” Geng said Thursday.

© AFP — Published at Activist Post with license