US army chief Mullen begins China visit to improve ties

[Gerald]

The top US military officer has begun a visit to China, aimed at improving strained military ties between the two countries.

Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Washington and Beijing should work harder on developing "strategic trust."

Adm Mullen's trip is the first of its kind in four years.

In 2010, Beijing severed military contacts with Washington in response to US arms sales to Taiwan.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory.

For its part, the US has repeatedly voiced concern over China's growing military capabilities and Beijing's rising assertiveness in a territorial row in the South China Sea.
'Enduring presence'

Adm Mullen is in China for a four-day visit at the invitation of Gen Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, who visited the US in May.

The two are scheduled to hold talks in Beijing on Monday.

Ahead of the high-profile meeting, Adm Mullen said Washington was committed to maintaining its presence in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3249/48951920southchinasea14.gif (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/33/48951920southchinasea14.gif/)
He expressed concern about the growing row between China, the Philippines and Vietnam in the area.

"The worry, among others that I have, is that the ongoing incidents could spark a miscalculation, and an outbreak that no-one anticipated," Adm Mullen said.

And he stressed: "We have an enduring presence here, we have an enduring responsibility. We seek to strongly support the peaceful resolution of these differences."

In all, six countries claim territory in the South China Sea, which is thought to be rich in oil and gas.

Last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed that Washington was committed to the defence of the Philippines, honouring a mutual defence pact.

In China, Adm Mullen is also scheduled to visit the country's air force, army and navy bases.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14097503


Note: 10 July 2011 Last updated at 10:20 GMT

[Gerald]

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7708/12chinacndarticlelarge.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/12chinacndarticlelarge.jpg/)
Gen. Chen Bingde, right, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Beijing on Monday.

BEIJING — The leaders of the Chinese and American militaries sought on Monday to cast aside decades of hostility between the two institutions, pledging at a joint news conference here to pursue what they separately called a “great opportunity” to create a “shared vision” of cooperation.

But neither indicated that his government was willing to alter positions on divisive issues, like Taiwan and the South China Sea, that have long hamstrung better relations. And the Chinese military chief, Gen. Chen Bingde, quickly voiced a string of complaints about American military policies that suggested their shared vision remained a distant dream.

General Chen and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were midway through three days of talks on Monday, following up on a visit to Washington in May by General Chen, the chief of the People’s Liberation Army general staff. Both men are under orders to improve the military relationship, one outcome of a summit last January between President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao of China.

Monday’s news conference brought some evidence of progress toward that goal. The two sides agreed to hold counter-piracy maneuvers in the Gulf of Aden by year’s end, to hold talks on operational safety in Hawaii and China and to plan exercises in humanitarian relief for 2012. Such joint operations have been rare in recent years.

Admiral Mullen and General Chen also had warm words for each other. General Chen praised Adm. Mullen’s “tremendous efforts” to improve military relations, adding that the unprecedented talks and exchanges of visits between the two sides this year send “a very positive message to the international community of the shared commitment of the two militaries.”

Admiral Mullen said that the two sides “can shrink from this great opportunity, or we can rise to meet it.”

“I believe I speak for General Chen when I say we both seek the latter,” he added.

But there appeared to be little if any progress on the major issues that divide the two sides, something General Chen underscored in his remarks. In the 90-minute session, he complained about a recent trip to the United States by the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese accuse of agitating for Tibetan independence, and about reconnaissance by American aircraft and ships off the Chinese coast. Among the main topics of Monday morning talks with Admiral Mullen, he said, was the attitude of unnamed American politicians toward China.

Three times, he raised complaints about recent American naval maneuvers in or near the South China Sea, including a joint exercise this week with the Australian and Japanese navies and a late June exercise with the navy of the Philippines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/world/asia/12china.html?ref=world

Note: Update Record,July 11, 2011