US, China Warplanes Collision

2000

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Beijing Expects Washington to Uphold 'Three No's'
(China Times, Dec. 20, 2000) The PRC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a warning in response to a U.S. Department of Defense report on the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act which addressed plans to stop military action by mainland China against Taiwan. In the statement, Beijing said that because the "Taiwan question" has a bearing on the overall state of Sino-American relations, the PRC hopes that both the U.S. government and armed forces will abide by the three joint communiques and the "three no's" policy.

China Eager To Work With Bush
(AP, Dec. 18, 2000) The Chinese call him “Xiao Bu-shi,” Little Bush, and remember him as a young visitor in the mid-1970s when his father was the chief American diplomat in a China just beginning to break out of its communist cocoon. Then there are the perennial issues of human rights, trade and Chinese weapons sales to regimes Washington doesn't like. The good news is that both sides have signaled an eagerness to get to know each other quickly.

China, U.S. OK Military Exchanges
(AP, Nov. 30, 2000) China and the United States tentatively agreed Thursday to more exchanges between their militaries, helping bring a semblance of stability to often rocky ties between the distrustful defense establishments. Two days of talks between U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe and a raft of Chinese generals exhibited the wavering dynamics that now characterize overall relations.

Pentagon Delegation In Beijing For Military Talks
(AFP, Nov. 29, 2000) A senior Pentagon official has arrived in Beijing for two days of talks with Chinese military leaders in the latest of a series of contacts aimed at improving relations between the two countries, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Walter Slocombe, under secretary of defense for policy, will also visit Qingdao naval base and meet with the commander of China's North Sea Fleet

China Escapes U.S. Arms Sanctions, Iran, Pakistan Hit
(Reuters, Nov. 21, 2000) The United States said on Tuesday it was waiving sanctions against China for past missile technology transfers to Iran and Pakistan but imposing them on these two states for receiving the equipment. China was liable for sanctions because of the transfers of technology including whole missiles, in Pakistan's case, or in Iran's, of components to make them, Boucher said. But President Clinton, who leaves office in January, had granted a waiver because China's foreign ministry had pledged to clean up its act on arms technology exports.

U.S. China Discuss Missile Exports
(AP, Nov. 16, 2000) President Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin made progress Thursday toward curtailing Beijing's missile exports and decided tentatively to resume severed human rights talks, a senior State Department official said. The leaders met on the sidelines of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, an annual summit of Pacific Rim countries.

U.S., China Generals Discuss Taiwan
(AP, Nov. 3, 2000) Senior U.S. and Chinese generals discussed Taiwan on Friday, with Washington's top commander urging Beijing to seek peace with the island and China complaining that American arms sales made that difficult. Differences over Taiwan punctuated meetings by Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the start of his four-day mission to improve ties between the countries' militaries.

US General at China War Games
(AFP, Nov. 3, 2000) A top US general will observe military exercises in China's Nanjing region and hold talks with senior military leaders on US arms sales to Taiwan and other issues. Army General Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to visit China for five days in the latest of a series of high-level contacts aimed at improving military relations between the two countries

Senate Approves Normalized Trade With China, 83-15
(Washington Post, Sept. 20, 2000) The Senate voted by a huge margin yesterday to normalize trade relations with China, capping one of the biggest legislative battles of the year and heightening the prospect of a historic economic opening by the world's most populous country.

U.S. Senate Spars over Chinese Arms Sales, Trade
(Reuters, Sept. 12, 2000) Beijing's critics in the U.S. Senate pressed on Monday for passage of a plan to sanction China for its alleged role in weapons proliferation, but ran into stiff opposition from lawmakers who warned it could scuttle a landmark trade pact. After months of delay, the Senate is expected to vote this week on legislation that would grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China.

Clinton and China Leader Meet but With Little Gain
(New York Times, Sep. 9, 2000) President Clinton yesterday urged China's president, Jiang Zemin, to open a dialogue with the new government of Taiwan and put a stop to China's missile exports to Pakistan. But in what had already been a week of diplomatic frustration for Mr. Clinton, Mr. Jiang offered little more than good wishes for the president's retirement in four months and thanks for supporting China's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

China's U.S. Road Show, Aimed at Making Friends
(New York Times, Aug. 23, 2000) After years of grumbling that it has been unfairly maligned and misunderstood in the United States, the Chinese government is taking its show on the road with a $7 million public relations campaign The campaign, organized by China's State Council Information Office and its Ministry of Culture -- and partly underwritten by American corporations with large investments in China -- seems clearly intended to polish China's image for the American public at a crucial time in relations between the two nations.

U.S. Cruiser Makes a Call At China Port
(Washington Post, August 3, 2000) A U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser sailed into Qingdao's military harbor today as the latest step in a gradual rekindling of military ties frozen last year after U.S. warplanes bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia during the Kosovo war. Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said his talks with Chinese counterparts would not focus on the controversy. "I think the most important thing is the recognition that we have a great number of shared interests in this particular region."

US Warship to Visit Chinese Port of Qindgao
(AFP, July 30, 2000) A US navy guided missile cruiser will make a port call in Qindgao, China from August 2 to August 5, the Pentagon announced. "The US navy, in cooperation with the People's Liberation Army (Navy), has developed a series of engagement events that are designed to build mutual understanding in maritime safety, communications and search and rescue," according to a written statement from the Pentagon. 

Cohen Steadies China Relations
(AP, July 15, 2000) Defense Secretary William Cohen says U.S. military relations with China are back on track, albeit a slow and steady one. Still, it was clear after his visit last week to Beijing and Shanghai that there remains a deep divide on the subject of U.S. missile defense. "Differences remain," Cohen said in summing up Chinese leaders' response to his pitch on missile defense.

Cohen Meets China-Taiwan Negotiator
(AP, July 14, 2000) Chinese officials are taking a "more relaxed" approach to the touchy issue of reconciling with Taiwan but still insist that negotiations on terms of reunification not begin until Taiwan acknowledges it cannot be a separate sovereign state, U.S. officials said Friday. U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen, joined by senior officials from the State Department and the National Security Council, met with Wang Daohan.

Cohen Cautions Chinese Media Against 'Negativity'
(CNN, July 13, 2000) China's state-controlled media "dangerously" distort U.S. international policy objectives, and that could cause misunderstandings that lead to serious miscalculations, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said Thursday. "(China) sometimes presents the United States in a way that is not only unhelpful but is untrue," Cohen said during a speech to China's National Defense University.

Cohen Off to Repair Relations with China
(Washington Times, July 10, 2000) Defense Secretary William S. Cohen leaves today for China hoping to jump-start the Pentagon's stalled military diplomacy program, which so far has done little to coax the People's Liberation Army into being more open or friendly. Defense officials said privately that China several times turned down offers to conduct joint military exercises with U.S. forces to practice humanitarian relief or search and rescue operations.

U.S. Says First Arms Talks With China Since Embassy Bombing "Constructive"
(AFP, July 9, 2000) The US and China completed two days of arms control and nonproliferation talks on Saturday, the first since dialogue was broken off last year after NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The US said the talks had been "constructive" and had touched on sensitive issues such as reports of Chinese help for missile development in Pakistan, and America's plans to build a missile defense shield for itself and possibly its allies..

Anti-Missile Test Looms Over China-U.S. Arms Talks
(Reuters, July 7, 2000) Chinese and U.S. officials resumed long-frozen arms control talks on Friday as the United States prepared to test an anti-missile system that has united China, Russia and others in strident opposition. The two sides reopened a dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation China angrily broke off last May after NATO warplanes bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia. But the two-day meeting in Beijing straddles a key $100 million test over the Pacific Ocean of a planned U.S. National Missile Defense (NMD) plan that China bitterly opposes.

US Hails Resumption of Security Dialogue with China
(AFP, July 5, 2000) The United States Wednesday hailed this week's resumption of its security dialogue with Beijing as crucial to the overall improvement of US-China ties and the foundation of the bilateral relationship. US Undersecretary of State for Security and Arms Control John Holum will arrive in Beijing late Thursday for two days of talks with Chinese officials.

China Trade Bill Advances
(Washington Post, May 18, 2000) The Clinton administration's drive to normalize trade relations with China cleared important congressional hurdles yesterday with surprising ease as the measure appeared to pick up momentum in advance of next week's crucial House vote. The House Ways and Means Committee gave the main bill a 34 to 4 stamp of approval; in the Senate, the Finance Committee approved it 18 to 1. Of particular significance, a bevy of legislators who until yesterday had said they were undecided voted in favor of the measure, giving heart to the administration.

U.N. Rights Commission Foils U.S. Effort to Condemn China
(New York Times, April 19, 2000) In an embarrassing defeat for the Clinton administration, the principal United Nations body on human rights voted in Geneva today not to act on a United States resolution criticizing China's human rights record. The vote came after the State Department released one of its most withering annual reports on human rights in China and after Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, made a rushed overnight trip to Geneva from India last month to make an impassioned speech to the group, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

US Envoy Urges Patience From China
(Associated Press, March 1, 2000) Expressing great concern over China's renewed threats toward Taiwan, the commander of U.S. Pacific forces appealed to Chinese leaders to show "patience and moderation," a U.S. official said today. Adm. Dennis Blair's two days of meetings with Chinese military leaders were dominated by discussion of tensions between China and Taiwan.

China Warns US Military Commander: No Compromise Over Taiwan
(AFP, Feb. 29, 2000) China issued a blunt warning to the US military on Tuesday that it would never rule out using force to win back Taiwan, and said Sino-US differences over the island needed "urgent handling". "China will never commit not to use force," Defence Minister General Chi Hoatian told the visiting commander of US forces in the Pacific Admiral Dennis Blair, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Beijing Warns Washington over Taiwan, as US Admiral Visits
(AFP, Feb. 28, 2000) The commander of US forces in the Pacific met Chinese military leaders on Monday as China warned the United States it would pay a high price for any military intervention over Taiwan. Admiral Dennis Blair arrived in Beijing late Sunday for two days of talks at a time when tension over Taiwan is at boiling point after China's ultimatum to the island to enter a dialogue on reunification or face invasion.

U.S. Says Ties With China Are on the Mend
(New York Times, Feb. 19, 2000) After two days of meetings with senior Chinese officials, an American government delegation left Beijing on a positive note today, with members characterizing the talks as helping to get the bilateral "relationship back on track." American officials said that this week they told their Chinese counterparts they thought "what happened in 1996 was counterproductive," although they said they were "unclear" if the Chinese shared that view.

US Urges China Restraint in Taiwan
(AP, Feb. 18, 2000) Trying to head off a confrontation, the United States has urged China to show restraint as Taiwan elects a new president next month. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Chinese officials spent much of their two days of talks discussing Taiwan, American arms sales to the island and Washington's plans to build anti-missile shields, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

US-China Security Talks in Beijing, Taiwan on Agenda
(AFP, Feb. 17, 2000) US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott began two days of talks Thursday aimed at shoring up the delicate Sino-US security relationship, with the subject of Taiwan high on the agenda. Talbott, accompanied by senior defence and national security officials, met with his counterpart Yang Jiechi on Thursday and was due to meet Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who guides Taiwan policy, on Friday.

China, US to Discuss Missile Defense, Taiwan
(AFP, Feb. 15, 2000) A senior US delegation including top military officials is expected in China for tough talks on a proposed US theater missile defense system and US weapons sales to Taiwan. The two-day talks beginning Thursday are a part of strategic security consultations between the two countries and form a part of US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott's five-day trip to Japan and China.

US Sailors Take Leave in Hong Kong
(AP, Feb. 8, 2000) A U.S. Navy battle group docked today in Hong Kong, granting 7,000 sailors shore leave in the biggest such port call since NATO bombed China's embassy in Yugoslavia. The ships, including the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, arrived a month before Taiwanese voters were to choose a new president, but Rear Adm.. Gerald L. Hoewing disputed suggestions that Washington was trying to send Beijing any signals about leaving Taiwan alone.

China Critical of U.S. on Taiwan
(AP, Jan. 31, 2000) China cautioned the United States against strengthening military ties with Taiwan and harping on Beijing's human rights record, saying such actions will damage already shaky U.S.-China relations. One statement was aimed at the proposed "Taiwan Security Enhancement Act," which the House is expected to take up as early as Tuesday. The other targeted a U.S. plan to seek censure of China at a March meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

U.S., Chinese Militaries to Resume High-Level Contacts
(LA Times, Jan. 29, 2000) In a clear sign of a warming trend in U.S.-China relations, Washington and Beijing have agreed to resume military-to-military contacts at the highest level. Beijing invites Defense secretary, admiral for visits. Recent developments are seen as signs that relations are returning to normal eight months after Stealth bomber struck China's embassy in Belgrade

Chinese General in Washington Discussing Fresh Ties
(Reuters, Jan. 24, 2000) A senior Chinese army general met Pentagon and State Department officials on Monday, resuming touchy U.S.-China military ties amid charges that he was a Beijing spymaster. Lt. Gen. Xiong Guangkai visited the Defense and State Departments where he held the first high-level defense talks since Beijing angrily suspended military-to-military contacts in May 1999 after U.S. jets bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.

China, U.S. Military To Have Contact
(AP, Jan. 22, 2000) Lt. Gen. Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, will hold three days of talks in Washington next week with U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe and other Pentagon officials. Their meetings are to be the first high-level meetings between the two militaries in 13 months, and should help dispel the lingering ill-will that has clouded Chinese-U.S. relations since the May 7 bombing.

Clinton to Press Hill To Back China Deal
(Washington Post, Jan. 11, 2000) President Clinton yesterday announced an "all-out effort" to persuade Congress to grant China permanent access to the U..S. market, a key step in White House efforts to bring China into the World Trade Organization. The White House is convening a special Cabinet committee to work with business and other groups in what promises to be one of the biggest lobbying battles of 2000.

U.S. Seeks U.N. Censure of China
(Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2000) The Clinton administration undertook a campaign Tuesday to censure China in the U.N. Human Rights Commission for what the administration views as a steadily deteriorating Chinese human rights record. State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said in addition to intensifying a crackdown on political dissent in China, Beijing is vigorously suppressing the Buddhist Falun Gong meditation movement and tightening controls on the media and the Internet.

China, US Resuming Military Contact
(AP, Jan. 5, 2000) China has agreed to send its No. 2 army officer to Washington this month to meet with a senior Pentagon official, the first high-level military contact since China cut off military relations last May in response to the U.S. bombing of its embassy in Belgrade. The session, to be held Jan. 24-26, is intended to resume a U.S.-China dialogue on military matters and to arrange for other high-level contacts

The China Threat By Bill Gertz
(Washington Times, Nov. 24, 2000) Missteps and appeasement by the U.S. government helped China develop into a dangerous global power, according to "The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America" (Regnery), a new book by Bill Gertz, national security reporter for The Washington Times. In the first excerpt, he details the hunt for Chinese spies burrowed deep inside the U.S. government. In the second excerpt, he examines the case of an Energy Department official who was punished for exposing Chinese theft of nuclear secrets. In the third excerpt, he examines the growing danger of nuclear war between China and the United States over Taiwan.

US-Sino Missile Pact a Win-Win Deal By Mary Kwang
(Straits Times, Nov. 24, 2000) China's pledge that it will not help any country in any way to develop ballistic missiles, capable of delivering nuclear weapons, is a win-win move for both Beijing and Washington and is set to consolidate Sino-US ties. A big prize for China is that it has led the US to waive sanctions on Chinese companies previously involved in spreading such technology and to resume processing licences for commercial space cooperation, including the launching of US satellites by China.

U.S. Now a 'Threat' in China's Eyes By John Pomfret
(Ashington Post, Nov.. 5, 2000) In 1998, when China issued its second white paper on national defense, representing the consensus view of the government, the document mentioned the United States 10 times, each time positively. Last month, China's third white paper mentioned the United States 13 times. All but two of the references were negative. Faced with what it feels is a shaky security environment and a strong and sometimes arrogant America, Beijing has increasingly viewed the United States as an obstacle to its rise as an Asian power.

China: The Silent Debate By John Gershman
(Foreign Policy In Focus, Nov. 2000) In a presidential election in which foreign policy occupies a less than central role, it may come as no surprise that China and U.S.-China relations are virtually absent from the debate. Indeed, there appears to be a more public debate in China about U.S.-China relations than in the U.S. Whoever wins the election, the U.S. public has been let down by a Clinton administration that has been unable to develop a coherent China policy outside of trade liberalization, and betrayed by a presidential campaign unwilling to address major foreign policy issues.

New Realism Wins the Day as Senate Passes Trade Bill By David E. Sanger
(New York Times, Sept. 19, 2000) The Senate's overwhelming vote today to give permanent trade benefits to China ended a clash between America's global economic interests and the notion that the United States could use the annual threat of trade sanctions to change Beijing's behavior. In the end, it wasn't even close — and behind that lies a new reality in how the United States deals with China, the world's most populous nation.

The US' Appalling Appeasement of China By Doug Bandow
(Taipei Times, Sep. 6, 2000) One of the most obvious elements of statehood is the power to determine who visits one's country. China seems to believe that it should make that decision not only for itself, but for other nations as well. Beijing has confiscated thousands of copies of The Clinton Years, a new book that was shipped to the city of Shenzhen for binding, because it contains a photo of Tibet's Dalai Lama meeting with President Clinton during the former's 1994 trip to America.

China's Dysfunctional Public Relations Barrage By Orville Schell
(New York Times, Sep. 2, 2000) As Beijing sees it, the reason China's diplomatic and trade relations with the United States don't always go smoothly starts with unfair American press coverage and hostile politicians in Congress. These forces cause Americans to misunderstand China's efforts to keep "the motherland" unified and stable, the thinking goes. Still believing in the efficacy of political propaganda, the Communist Party hopes to change things with the public relations offensive that is currently bringing high-level visitors to the United States.

The Enemy With No Name By Melinda Liu
(Newsweek International, July 24, 2000) It wasn’t entirely a warm welcome. As U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen kicked off his China trip last week, a headline in the state-run China Daily screamed, U.S. a threat to world peace. Cohen tried to tell military personnel at China’s National Defense University that it is “simply untrue” to portray the United States as a “hegemon” determined to “contain China.” Still, Beijing's press bad-mouthed everything from Washington’s proposed National Missile Defense system (NMD) to American arms sales to Taiwan.

China Demonizes
(Editorial, Washington Post, July 17, 2000) American critics of China's human rights record and belligerence toward Taiwan are sometimes admonished to tone down their rhetoric; it's counterproductive to "demonize" the People's Republic, many supporters of engagement say. We mustn't offend China lest it lash back. Thus, it was refreshing to hear Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen--himself a strong supporter of the Clinton administration's policy toward China--reminding the Chinese that demonization can be a two-way street.

Missile Wars: What America Calls a Defense China Calls an Offense By Erik Eckholm
(New York Times, July 2, 2000) Just as Washington has a growing coterie of politicians, ex-officials and experts who warn of an emerging "China threat," China has an even broader group of officials and scholars who think the United States is trying to hem their country in. They portray the United States as a power-drunk bully, determined to preserve its post-cold war status as the world's dominant power. China's leaders almost certainly share suspicions about the "American threat."

Chinese Military Power and American Security Interests By Jonathan D. Pollack
(SAIS Policy Forum, May 2000) Among the factors shaping the Asia-Pacific strategic environment and U.S. regional security interests in the 21st century, China's position and role as a major power loom very large.  The purpose of this essay is to explore some of the major dimensions of Chinese military modernization that seem likely to emerge over he coming decade and a half, and them to assess the potential implication of China's future military development for the longer-term security interests of the United States.

Long-Term Visions of Regional Security: A U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue By Ralph A. Cossa
(Pacific Forum, CSIS, PacNet 21, May 26, 2000) The Sino-U.S. relationship, among all the key Asia-Pacific bilateral match-ups, has experienced the greatest swings in recent years, from the highs after the Clinton-Jiang summits to the lowest low immediately after the accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, with many upward and (mostly) downward cycles in between. It is also the bilateral relationship which, if not properly managed, could most likely plunge the region into a new cold, and perhaps even actual, war.

The Proper Way to Promote Change in China Is From Within By Carly Fiorina
(LA Times, May 18, 2000) It is unfortunate that those who oppose normalizing trade with China have chosen to demonize China. To hear opponents talk, to defeat permanent normal trade relations with China is to defeat the "evil empire" for the good of U.S.., Chinese and Taiwanese citizens. In reality, a vote against trade with China is a vote against U.S. businesses, employees, American citizens and the people in China who would directly benefit from greater U.S. presence, products and services.

Seeking a Strong and Stable China By Stanley O. Roth
(International Herald Tribune, April 19, 2000) Why does the United States want a strong, stable, prosperous and open China? This question is at the heart of debate over U.S. policy toward Beijing. U.S. strategy is to integrate China into regional and global institutions, helping it become a country that plays by the accepted international rules, cooperating and competing peacefully within those rules.

Clinton Walks a Tightrope Over China By Jim Lobe
(Asia Times, Feb. 4, 2000) The administration of President Bill Clinton has launched what is expected to be a high-powered, business-backed lobbying campaign to gain Congressional approval for China's entry into the World Trade Organization this year.

Pentagon Study Finds China Preparing for War with U.S. By Bill Gertz
(Washington Times, Feb. 2, 2000) Strategic writings by China's military and party leaders show that China is making plans for war, according to a new Pentagon study. Some 600 translations of internal Chinese writings by 200 authors reveal China's strategy to defeat a superior foe, using both military and nonmilitary means, such as propaganda, deception and covert action. They also reveal the extreme distrust of the United States by China's military and party leaders.

Chinese General's Visit Raises Only Limited Hopes By Steven Lee Myers
(New York Times, Jan. 26, 2000) The first visit here by a senior Chinese military official since an American warplane bombed China's embassy in Belgrade last May will produce only a modest series of military exchanges during the next year, administration and defense officials said.

U.S.-China Relations May Thaw a Bit By Bates Gill
(Newsday, Jan. 5, 2000) With the recent resolution of two sensitive issues for U.S.-China relations—terms for Chinese accession to the World Trade Organization and settlement of property claims for the loss of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and damage to U.S. diplomatic buildings in China—both sides are keen to reopen long-suspended official dialogue channels.

US Presidential Candidates on the Issues: China
(Associated Press, Jan. 5, 2000) Three days a week, The Associated Press asks the major presidential candidates a question on the issues. Today's question: Should China be granted permanent normal trade status with the United States? Democrats: Bill Bradley: ``Yes. It is in America's interest to grant China normal trade status on a permanent rather than annual basis because it would make China a more reliable trading partner and provide greater access to the Chinese market for American companies."