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US, China to Start Tough Missile Shield Talks
A US envoy said on Tuesday he would appeal to Chinese pragmatism in trying to convince the opponent of President George W. Bush's missile defence system that the plan is good for world peace.
"I've come today to conduct a dialogue with Chinese officials on security and stability that reflect today's world," Assistant US Secretary of State James Kelly said before meeting Chinese officials who say the missile shield plan a major threat to world stability.
"China clearly shares with us an interest in promoting peace and stability in East Asia and the world. Curbing the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is a key element in the maintenance of peace and security," he told reporters.
Kelly said he would present a four-part Bush strategic vision of "non-proliferation, counter proliferation, missile defence and unilateral reductions in the American strategic forces".
"These reductions will sharply lower the number of such weapons in America," he said.
There have been no signs, however, that Kelly will change any Chinese minds in a day of talks with officials who have been vehemently critical of the scheme since its inception.
China is at the sharply negative end of a spectrum of world opinion on Bush's plan that has ranged from understanding in Australia and India to ambivalence in Europe to opposition in Russia.
China says US proposals to build defences capable of intercepting missiles fired by so-called "rogue states" such as North Korea or Iraq could trigger a new arms race and would mean undermining the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Beijing sees as the cornerstone of the world's strategic balance.
Multiple IrritantsIn addition to the National Missile Defence (NMD) scheme, Washington is also considering a Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) to protect allies, such as Japan, and its own troops in northeast Asia.
China is strongly opposed to both systems, fearing NMD would negate the effectiveness of its small nuclear force and TMD would cover Taiwan and thwart Beijing's efforts to reunite the island with the mainland.
Senior US envoys have toured the world since early May to brief allies in Europe and Asia, as well as other nuclear powers, and sell the Bush administration's strategic gameplan.
But the missile shield dispute is just one of many irritants in the US-China relationship, which remains clouded by lingering suspicion over last month's spy plane standoff.
China has rejected US requests to be allowed to fly out its EP-3 spy plane which has been grounded on Hainan Island since an April 1 mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter. It is angry about the US resumption of surveillance flights near its borders.
Ties are also strained over Bush's decision to sell Taiwan a hefty package of advanced weapons and his recent vow to do "whatever it took" to defend Taiwan if China were to attack.
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