Military tensions between China and the United States persist as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to travel to Beijing in November, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, Aug. 12).
(Oct. 15) -
China displays nuclear-capable missiles at a parade on Oct. 1 in Beijing. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to discuss nuclear matters while meeting with Chinese leaders next month (Feng Li/Getty Images).
Obama is expected to discuss a number of matters with Chinese leaders, including the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea and his hopes for stronger relations between the two nations' armed forces.
"Our militaries are coming into increasing proximity and increasing interactions," said Michael Schiffer, deputy assistant defense secretary for East Asia. "But we don't have any good mechanism to help us clarify misunderstandings."
Beijing is modernizing and augmenting its conventional forces and making similar moves to its nuclear deterrent.
China's arsenal includes mobile, solid-fuel ICBMs, along with approximately 80 nuclear-armed, medium-range ballistic missiles.
The U.S. Defense Department believes that by 2010, China should have up to five Jin-class submarines that could carry a total of 60 ICBMs. There exists no official code of conduct between the two nations' navies for dealing with issues that arise at sea.
Beijing has demonstrated little enthusiasm for taking part in a discussion with Washington on nuclear planning. A single round of discussions with the Bush administration notwithstanding, it has provided no details on its nuclear strategy.
China also raised eyebrows in 2007 with a successful demonstration of antisatellite technology (see GSN, Jan. 19, 2007).
In June, Chinese officials provided the Obama administration with an accounting of seven "obstacles" that stand in the way of better diplomatic relations between the two nations. Among those were Beijing's protestations at being targeted by U.S. nuclear weapons.
China also wants the United States to stop providing weapons to Taiwan, which is still considered by Beijing to be part of its territory (see GSN, Jan. 27).
"The military relationship is a red-meat issue in China," said one high-level Chinese diplomat. "It is the one issue that could jeopardize our relations with the United States" (John Pomfret, Washington Post, Oct. 15).
The United States will host China's No. 2 military officer for a week later this month, Reuters reported.
Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the People's Liberation Army Central Military Commission, is expected to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and to tour U.S. Strategic Command, Pacific Command and other important installations from Oct. 24 to 31, said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell.
"There is huge value in fostering better military-to-military relations between our two countries," Morrell said. "The more transparency there is, the more dialogue that goes on, the less chance there is for a misunderstanding between two very formidable powers on the world's stage" (Entous/Stewart, Reuters, Oct. 14).