Trade-off reports not correct: U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 5. The Bush administration is continuing with its defensive approach on China maintaining in the last few days that it is not looking for any trade offs to or from Beijing on the subject of Missile Defence. Senior officials at the Pentagon are saying that media reports on so-called trade offs were ``not correct''.

Over the weekend, a report in The New York Times quoting an unnamed senior administration official had said that the Bush administration, in search of a nod from Beijing on Missile Defence, is willing to allow for the modernisation of the Chinese missile arsenal; and perhaps even willing to allow for a resumption of underground nuclear testing so that the Chinese could address issue the verifiability of its stockpile.

That report was quickly downplayed by senior administration officials including the President's National Security Advisor, Dr.Condoleeza Rice, all of whom making the point that Washington will continue to raise the subject of a Chinese modernisation and buildup.

Senior officials at the Pentagon are saying that the United States continues to have concerns about China's development of long range nuclear capabilities; and are arguing too that the development and deployment of missiles with short range capability have not provided stability.

The Defence Department is making the point that Washington has enough concerns on China's intermediate range missiles as well.

If the administration is now on the defensive, it is not without a good cause - both Democrats and Republicans are riled but for different reasons.

The Democrats, senior law-makers especially, are simply outraged that the Bush administration will give a free pass to the Chinese on the subject of proliferation thereby undermining all the efforts of the last 50 years.

And Republicans were appalled that the administration is getting softer on China. Even those conservatives who were pushing for the Missile Defence plan were getting somewhat sceptical that the price was getting too high, from a political and a strategic point of view.

And overall there was this definite assessment that by giving the Chinese the go ahead on modernisation, Washington was just about setting off a reaction from countries in the region, notably India.

``The United States will not seek to overcome China's opposition to missile defence by telling the Chinese that we do not object to an expansion of their nuclear ballistic missile force. Nor will we acquiesce in any resumption of nuclear testing by China,'' a statement from the White House said.

In trying to come out clear on where it stands on China's modernisation plans and future testing, the Bush administration is also seeking to draw a fine line between the official position and its interpretation of what Beijing may do in the future.

At the same time, this Republican administration is making it known that it may not be in a position to influence Chinese policy on such critical issues as future nuclear testing.

After a rough patch in bilateral relations, it is getting quite obvious that neither Beijing nor Washington wish to rock the boat any more than it should be, especially with barely six weeks to go before the President goes to China for the meeting of the Asia Pacific leaders in Shanghai and an official visit to Beijing.

As a part of relationship being on the ``mend'', an official announcement is expected shortly that China will buy 36 Boeing planes valued at between $1 and $2 billions.

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Section  : International
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