Proliferation an issue with China: U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 28. The Bush administration has made it known in plain terms that while the United States' relations with China are important, Beijing will continue to be pressed on issues such as proliferation.

``...China's performance on proliferation is mixed. And we're going to continue to press China because so much of peace throughout the world depends on different nations not acquiring weapons of mass destruction and technology that is given as a result of weakness or mixed results on proliferation,'' the White House spokesman, Mr. Ari Fleischer, said on Friday. The White House was asked to comment on whether the administration had protested against China's continued export of missiles and related technology to Pakistan and other countries.

``The administration firmly opposes all Chinese transfers of missiles and weapons of mass destruction related technology to other countries. Non-proliferation is a key element in the United States' relations with China and the U.S will continue to make this an important topic in our discussions with China...The United States expects China to live up to its non- proliferation commitments and we will continue to press China to adhere to those policies,'' Mr. Fleischer said. The spokesman, however, did not refer to any particular country as the recipient of China's technologies and hardware. Generally, Washington has been quite wary of Beijing's dealings with such countries as Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and North Korea. In the recent past, the Bush administration has voiced concern about the possible military co-operation between China and Iraq, something that has been played down by Beijing.

China's track record on proliferation has been of concern even as there is the feeling in some quarters that the Clinton administration did not sufficiently press Beijing on this issue due to the so-called strategic engagement policy. During the Clinton period, intelligence agencies had pointed out Chinese transgressions in the realm of nuclear weapons and missiles technologies - even shipping of missiles and components to countries like Pakistan. But the Clinton administration invariably did the routine investigation with no final determination.

Non-proliferation is on the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell's talks with his counterpart in China, Mr. Tang Jiaxuan. Reports from Beijing speak of intense and serious discussions between the two senior officials. The U.S. is concerned that China may not be fully abiding by the November 2000 agreement on the export of missiles and related technology. Gen. Powell, prior to his arrival in China today, made the point that China's compliance with the November 2000 accord had been ``mixed, some success and some areas that need improving'' and that he would pursue this with the Chinese authorities. Senior Bush administration officials have not publicly commented on whether the U.S. felt that Beijing had transferred missile technology to countries in the suspect list.

After a rocky period in bilateral relations, the U.S. and China appear poised to enter a new phase that will hopefully be devoid of rhetorics. Relations hit an extremely bad patch this year after the April 1 spy plane collision with a Chinese plane over the South China seas. And then the President, Mr. George W Bush went along with an elaborate arms package for Taiwan, saying the U.S. would do ``whatever it takes'' to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

Washington refrained from taking sides in China's bid for the 2008 Olympics. The Republican administration has also said that it will co-operate in Beijing's bid to enter the World Trade Organisation; and China went along with the U.S. position on Iraq sanctions at the United Nations. The stabilisation of U.S.- China relations is critical not just for bilateral relations but for the Asia-Pacific as well.

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Section  : International
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