China and US Agree to Work Towards Restoring Military Ties

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 28, 2002

China and US Agree to Work Towards Restoring Military Ties

China and the United States agreed during a visit this week by a leading US defense official to work towards restoring military ties wrecked by last year's spy plane crisis, Beijing said Thursday.

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China and the United States agreed during a visit this week by a leading US defense official to work towards restoring military ties wrecked by last year's spy plane crisis, Beijing said Thursday.

The concensus was announced by China's foreign ministry as US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman prepared to leave Beijing after the three-day trip.

"In a candid and constructive atmosphere, both sides discussed development of bilateral and military relations, especially restoring and developing military exchanges," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

"Both sides expressed willingness to earnestly implement the important consensus of both countries' leaders to develop constructive and cooperative bilateral relations, and push for the restoration and improvement and development of military ties."

Rodman had met with Chinese defense minister Chi Haotian, Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, Liu said.

A US embassy spokesman said the purpose of Rodman's visit was to explore the resumption of US-China military-to-military exchanges.

"The talks dealt candidly with problems that had arisen in the past. They were also constructive in spirit," he said.

Regular military links between the two sides ended following the April 2001 collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a US spy plane over international waters off China's southern coast.

The incident threatened to send China-US relations spiraling out of control and was the first major diplomatic hurdle for the then-newly elected administration of US President George W. Bush.

Ties improved after China backed the US-led war against terrorism, and were further boosted by two meetings between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his US counterpart Bush, first at a conference in Shanghai last October and then in Beijing in February.

Military Exchanges Between China and the U.S.

Military exchanges between armed forces of the two countries constitute an important part of China-U.S. relations. Contacts and cooperation have been conducted in the military field ever since the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and the U.S. On June 5, 1989.

From March 9 to 25, 1997, a Chinese naval fleet consisting of three vessels, Harbin, Zhuhai and Nancang paid a visit to the Pearl Harbour of Hawaii and San Diego successively, which was the first visit to the U.S. territorial continent by a Chinese naval fleet.

The U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on May 8, 1999, severely damaged China-U.S. relations. On May 10, the Spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Chinese side decided to postpone high-level military exchanges with the U.S. side.

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