U.S. Pacific Commander Pitches Partnership to Chinese
Leaders
11 May 2006 (Bloomberg) -- The top U.S. commander in the Pacific
urged Chinese leaders in Beijing to improve communications and beef
up exchange programs of officers as a way to strengthen ties.
Admiral William Fallon, head of Pacific Command, made the pitch in
back-to-back meetings in the Chinese capital yesterday with General
Ge Zhengfeng, deputy chief of staff, and Cao Gangchuan, the defense
minister, both of whom welcomed the recommendations.
``Our two countries should get along well,'' Cao told Fallon. ``Our
younger officers, they should know more about each other.''
The meetings came near the start of a weeklong tour of China by
Fallon, his second such trip since taking over command of U.S.
military operations in the Pacific region last year, an area that
covers about half of the globe.
Fallon's trip, which also has diplomatic overtones, includes
cultural stops at the Great Wall and the terra cotta warriors of
Xian.
It was the first high-level U.S. contact between the two countries
since President Hu Jintao met with President George W. Bush in
Washington last month. Bush and Hu also discussed the prospect of
broadening military exchanges.
Ge said it was important for Chinese and U.S. officials to deepen
their relationship. The admiral invited Cao to send officers to
observe a major U.S. naval and air force joint exercise in the
Pacific in June, as a way of demonstrating the U.S. commitment to
``transparency'' in its military operations, he said.
In an interview aboard his plane en route to China on May 8, Fallon
said he was disappointed the U.S. wasn't invited to observe a joint
Chinese-Russian exercise last year.
Fallon also urged China to take part in a meeting of Pacific
regional commanders later this year in Kuala Lumpur.
Fallon's discussions in China come amid heightened concern in
Washington about the military buildup in the most populous country,
which is also the fastest-growing major developing- nation
economy.
A 2005 congressionally mandated annual report on Chinese military
power documented an expanding arsenal of ballistic and cruise
missiles, submarines and advanced aircraft. It determined that the
Chinese People's Liberation Army ``is modernizing its forces,
emphasizing preparations to fight and win short- duration,
high-intensity conflicts along China's periphery.''
The U.S. assessment said if the trend continues, the capabilities
of China ``could pose a credible threat to other modern militaries
operating in the region.''
China puts its military budget at $35 billion this year, while U.S.
officials have speculated the actual spending could be close to
three times that amount.
Fallon noted that the U.S. and China could jointly ``solve some of
those challenges that abound in the region,'' echoing a theme put
forth by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick last year that
China ought to behave like a ``responsible stakeholder'' in the
world system.
``There is much that we can potentially do together,'' Fallon
said.
