Us-china Talks More About Future Than The Present
In remarks after the end of meetings Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said candid discussions on a range of subjects would be crucial to building a foundation that would let the countries settle future spats and cooperate on major global crises.
“Laying the groundwork may not yield a lot of concrete achievements immediately, but every step is a good investment,” Clinton told reporters at a closing U.S. news conference.
The U.S.-China relationship is marked by periods of cooperation, followed by periods of deep discord when tensions flare over a host of differences, among them trade spats, occasional clashes by the countries military forces in the Pacific and human rights. Relations hit a low point, for example, after the Bush administrations approval last year of a major arms sale package to Chinas rival Taiwan, which led to China breaking off military talks with the United States.
That rift appeared to be healing Tuesday, as China said it would be sending a senior general to the United States for talks this year and would welcome U.S. generals in China.
Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said officials from both countries spent much of the gathering discussing ways to enhance U.S.-China ties. Improved military contact, he said, could increase trust and reduce suspicions.
Wang, however, issued a stern warning that the United States should “appropriately deal” with the question of Taiwan and not repeat its “wrong decision” on the 2008 arms sale to the self-governing island that China claims as its own territory.
The United States is considering a request by Taiwan to buy 66 F-16 jet fighters. Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific region, said after the talks Tuesday that the request would be handled as all others are.
On another potentially sensitive point, ethnic riots in Chinas oil-rich Xinjiang region, Wang said China appreciated what he called the “moderate attitude” of the U.S. response.
Rioting erupted in the regional capital of Urumqi on July 5 after police stopped a protest by Uighur residents. Uighur demonstrators smashed windows, burned cars and beat Han Chinese, the nations dominant ethnic group. Two days later, the Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs.
Shortly after the clashes began, Clinton said the United States was “calling on all sides to exercise restraint.”
Wang urged Washington to “restrain” Uighur leaders in the United States from conducting terrorism in China, an apparent reference to Rebiya Kadeer, an exiled Uighur activist who lives in the Washington area and whom China blames for the riots. As the leaders spoke, a crowd of Uighurs stood outside the building and angrily denounced China and its leaders for its violent crackdown in Xinjiang.
Clinton said Chinas much-criticized human rights record was “absolutely integral” to the talks. But she was vague when asked specifically what issues were raised during the discussions other than violence in Xinjiang Province.
Clinton noted that State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who oversees foreign policy for China, had deep experience with Chinese policy toward North Korea and that she had spent “quite a bit of time” with him talking about the North. “I found that very useful, indeed,” she said.
It was not clear, however, whether China, long North Koreas strongest ally, had agreed to step up pressure on the North to return to six-nation disarmament talks. The Norths recent missile and nuclear tests prompted the United Nations to impose strict sanctions.
On the economics side, both nations sought to play down disagreements on trade, exchange rates and climate change and instead offered a picture of harmony with China pledging to work toward a key U.S. goal that it foster greater domestic-led growth to reduce its reliance on exporting to the United States.
For its part, the Obama administration pledged to tackle the budget deficit, which this year is projected to hit a record $1.84 trillion. That flood of red ink has left the Chinese, the worlds largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities, distinctly nervous about the safety of their investments.
On climate control and energy, China did not signal any change in its refusal to agree to a specific cap on greenhouse emissions, but the two sides signed a document that Clinton said would create a platform for cooperation on climate change in the future heading into major climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.