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Below are two articles on the visit of Kurt Campbell, US deputy assistant secretary of defence for Asian affairs, to Beijing.
Ming Pao (11-20-99) has reported that Campbell is first off meeting with Gen. Xiong Guankai (see Who is Xiong Guankai or Persona Non Grata: P.L.A. General Xiong Guangkai) to plan for visits by Secretary of Defense Cohen and the Pacific region commander in chief.
Tomorrow is today there, so the meeting has probably taken place by now.
Also at the meeting they will plan for next years military exchange program.
Ming Pao link is here
The articles below are from Wen Wei Po (BBC translation) and AFP. WenWeiPo is the main Chinese Communist newspaper in Hong Kong and represents official ChiCom views and information.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
November 20, 1999, Saturday
SECTION: Part 3 Asia-Pacific; CHINA; WTO; FE/D3697/G
LENGTH: 344 words
HEADLINE: Conditions set out for resumption of military exchanges with USA
SOURCE: Source: 'Wen Wei Po', Hong Kong, in Chinese 19 Nov 99 pA5
BODY: [10]
Text of report by Hong Kong newspaper 'Wen Wei Po' on 19th November
Beijing, 18th November: In response to reports that top-level Sino-US military exchanges are to fully resume soon, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi pointed out that the US side has to continue to make efforts if top-level Sino-US military exchanges are to be restored.
The spokesman even stated explicitly that the efforts the Chinese side demanded are that the United States should conscientiously and seriously handle the incident of the Chinese embassy bombing in Yugoslavia, provide full and effective compensation for property losses, and give the Chinese government and its people a satisfactory explanation by taking concrete action.
Since Kurt Campbell, US deputy assistant secretary of defence for Asian affairs, will soon visit China, there has been concern about the full resumption of top-level Sino-US military exchanges. In light of this, Sun Yuxi noted that Campbell as a guest of the US embassy in China will make contact with relevant Chinese military departments during his visit to China.
By and large, the spokesman said, the signing of the WTO agreement will help promote the development of the comprehensive Sino-US relationship. The Chinese side hopes that the United States will take concrete action and do more practical things to create conditions for the further improvement in bilateral ties and for the restoration of top-level Sino-US military exchanges.
The spokesman added that through the arduous negotiations, China and the United States finally signed an accord on China's WTO accession. This is not only conducive to the further improvement in Sino-US relations, it also shows the differences between China and the United States in terms of the political system, ideology, and values. Both sides, irrespective of this or that problem between them, can cooperate in some major issues from a strategic perspective and in the spirit of equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect, and seeking common ground while reserving differences.
Agence France Presse
November 19, 1999 13:55 GMT
SECTION: International news
LENGTH: 583 words
HEADLINE: Visit by top US official signals Sino-US military exchanges to resume
DATELINE: BEIJING, Nov 19
BODY: The visit to Beijing Friday by the highest ranking US military official since NATO's bombing of China's Belgrade embassy signals the start of a process by the two countries to resume normal military exchanges, sources said.
US deputy assistant defense secretary Kurt Campbell arrived in Beijing Friday night for a three-day visit during which he will meet with Chinese People's Liberation Army officials, a spokesman at the American embassy said Friday.
Campbell, the Pentagon's top expert on China, is the highest-level US military official to visit Beijing since China cut off such exchanges in the wake of the mistaken NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia in May.
"This represents a restoration of military exchanges between the two countries," said Hong Kong academic and China watcher Lau Siu-kai.
"There are still problems. The embassy bombing compensation issue is not yet entirely resolved and there's the Taiwan issue, but in the end they have to resume the exchanges. It's good for both sides."
The United States is hoping Campbell's visit will result in more military exchanges between the two countries.
"He's going to head a small delegation. We hope he has constructive talks. We feel military to military contacts with China are important to maintaining peace in the Pacific," the embassy spokesman said.
China, however, has hinted US expectations should not be too high.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday called on Washington to do more to overcome the embassy bombing in which three Chinese people were killed and more than 20 injured.
"In order to resume high-level exchanges between the two militaries, we hope the US side will do more concrete deeds so as to create the conditions," foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said.
He said Campbell comes "as a guest of the US embassy in China," but confirmed he would be meeting with Chinese military officials.
The US should pay "effective compensation" for damages to the embassy and offer an "acceptable explanation" to the Chinese government and people for the bombing, Sun said.
Campbell is in the upper middle to lower top levels of the Pentagon.
Five or six other officials from the Pentagon and the US Pacific Command in Hawaii will accompany Campbell.
Western diplomats in Beijing said Washington was hoping for an invitation for US Defense Secretary William Cohen to visit China next year, but because of next year's US presidential elections it was highly doubtful that Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian would be invited to the US.
Campbell's visits comes four days after Washington and Beijing signed a bilateral trade agreement on China's accession to the World Trade Organization.
Before the Kosovo crisis, the Pentagon and China had an active schedule of military exchanges, visits by top commanders, reciprocal port visits, and table top exercises that Washington hopes to revive.
In another sign of a willingness to restore military ties, China has granted approval for two United States warships to visit Hong Kong next month, a US consulate spokeswoman in Hong Kong said Thursday.
USS Blue Ridge with 990 crew will make a port call in Hong Kong from December 7 to 11, while USS Vincennes with 388 crew will be in the territory from December 10 to 14, the spokeswoman said.
The visit of the two US military ships brought to seven the total number of ships approved by Beijing to visit Hong Kong since the May 7 Chinese embassy bombing.
The Communists paused the "exchanges" but are now apparently taking offers from the US to get them back going again.
So he's meeting with Xiong and working out a Cohen visit to beijing for early next year.
Rumors are that Clinton will be getting help from his ChiCom friends in getting a third term as President (we'll stop counting after the third...), since they helped him get his first and second terms.
Heads up!
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