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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| U.S., China Agree To Regular Talks |
| 2005-04-08 |
| President Bush has decided the United States and China should begin holding regular senior-level talks on a range of political, security and possibly economic issues, signifying both China's interest in the prestige of such sessions and the administration's efforts to come to grips with China's rising influence in Asia, senior administration officials said. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick has been assigned to head the U.S. delegation, and a Chinese vice foreign minister will be his counterpart, officials said. Regular meetings between the two countries have never been held at such a level. Chinese President Hu Jintao formally asked Bush to consider engaging in what the Chinese call a "strategic dialogue" during an economic meeting in Chile last November. During a visit to Beijing last month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed that the United States is interested in regular senior-level talks, but the administration has chosen to call the meetings a "global dialogue" because, officials say, the phrase "strategic dialogue" is reserved for close U.S. allies. Bush came to office in 2001 suggesting China was a "strategic competitor," but cooperation between the two nations steadily increased after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In the past four years, China has emerged as a formidable power in Asia, wielding both economic clout and growing political muscle. China's rapid improvements in its military capabilities -- much of them aimed at the Taiwan Strait -- have greatly concerned Pentagon and White House officials. Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith, in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in February, warned that China was "facing a strategic crossroads" and that "if it wants to continue to prosper, it will choose a benign path that will allow the world to accommodate its rise peacefully." Otherwise, he said, there would be "a truly gigantic problem in international affairs." Experts say that with the United States distracted in Iraq, China has filled a vacuum in Asian leadership. "China has moved in and assumed a dramatic regional role," said Kenneth G. Lieberthal, a Clinton administration official now at the University of Michigan. "Everyone in the region believes the movement has shifted toward China in a way no one anticipated 3 1/2 years ago." Reflecting the administration's concern, Rice initiated an effort during her trip to Asia to make India into a major world power and elevate Japan as a key ally on a range of international issues. During Zoellick's meetings, U.S. officials expect to ask tough questions about China's rapid rise in military capabilities. "It will almost certainly be raised in the strategic dialogue," a senior administration official said. During Rice's visit to Beijing, she was "very direct in our concerns on their military buildup," he added. Jing Quan, a Chinese diplomat who is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the talks with the United States would provide "a platform, a basis for the two countries to have direct, frank and deep dialogue." He said that "through such effective communication, both sides would be in the position to avoid actions and policies that would lead to misunderstandings." Jing said China is especially interested in discussing the dispute over Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province. But U.S. officials have larger goals. They want to persuade China to adjust its policies in such flashpoints as Burma, Nepal and Sudan, where Chinese economic interests have been at odds with U.S. diplomatic efforts to deal with deadly internal strife. Chinese officials "are more interested in optics and the prestige of being a player and power center in the world," the senior administration official said. "We are interested in a constructive and cooperative and candid dialogue. China is everywhere now, and we want to raise the bar of expectations on how they pursue their interests." The talks are to be held periodically, but the timing and frequency have not been decided. The Chinese would like the first meeting to be held in Beijing, whereas the United States favors starting the sessions in Washington. China has initiated such discussions with France, India and other nations in recent years. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |