”MADE IN CHINA” Ping.
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Posted on 12/04/2007 12:17:07 PM PST by charles m
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese and American military officials have agreed to put behind them a dispute over China's refusal to allow port calls to Hong Kong by U.S. Navy warships, a Chinese official said Tuesday.
China has hinted that its denials of port calls for the USS Kitty Hawk and eight other ships were triggered by Congress' honoring of the Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sales to Chinese rival Taiwan. The rejection of the ships drew protests from the United States and led the Bush administration to call China's Washington defense attache to the Pentagon to hear complaints about the matter.
In a meeting Monday between Eric Edelman, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, and Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff for foreign affairs, the Kitty Hawk issue came up but "was not one of the major points that was discussed," said Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy.
"The two sides agreed to put the issue behind them," Wang said. He described the overall mood of the regularly scheduled annual defense talks as candid and friendly.
The White House has said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called the ship rejection a "misunderstanding" during talks with President Bush but offered no apology. The Chinese Foreign Ministry later backed away from that characterization, saying that ties had been "disturbed and harmed" by "erroneous" U.S. actions.
During Monday's meeting, Wang said the Chinese side raised its concerns about U.S. ties with Taiwan, "which is regarded as one of the major obstacles affecting mutual trust and communication between the two armies."
Taiwan is a close U.S. ally, despite a lack of official ties, and the United States, committed by law to defend Taiwan, has hinted it would go to war to protect the self-governing island if nuclear-armed China were to attack.
China claims Taiwan as its own, and officials in Beijing vow to attack at any declaration of Taiwanese independence. China has stationed hundreds of missiles across the Taiwan Strait from the island.
Ma, in his talks with Edelman, urged the United States to stop official communications with Taiwan and to halt the sale of advanced weapons "so as not to send the wrong signals to the island," Wang said.
Ma also said that "sound opportunities exist for the improvement and development" of military relations between China and the United States, Wang said.
Next time a Chinese naval vessel docks in a U.S. port the crew should be abducted and forced to either work in a laundry or to build a railroad.
I know that there were 2 minesweepers denied entry during an earlier incident, and 1 frigate about a week after the Kitty was denied. I’m guessing the other 4 vessels were part of the Kitty’s battlegroup. Sounds like a reasonable number.
We should homeport a carrier group in Keelung.
Put it behind us my @$$. Those are my brothers out there and this insult had the potential to cost lives . This is too much like the events leading up to and after the attack on the U.S.S. COLE .
Forgive? Perhaps. Forget? Never.
How about a 20% tarrif on all crap coming from that armpit of a nation?
Don’t we have any dignity as a nation?
LLS
Appeasement. On steroids.
Where is the strength of character of someone to stand up in Congress and begin quoting the historic words of Oliver Cromwell spoken to the Long Parliament in 1653:
'You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go'.
In a sense that the US currently has the upper hand disagreements and isn't using it to the fullest. But wouldn't that be true of most countries the US encounters on less than cordial terms?
And I honestly believe, as China strengthens her hands, won't use them to the fullest in not so friendly encounters.
No apology basically means "screw you"
ping
Just no more port calls in China.
Should I surmise from your response that you believe aircraft carriers sail the world without any escorts?
Yep, when in doubt, our government does the usual: roll over and show our belly.
U.S. carrier help? (Admiral offers help to China)
Adm. Tim Keating, the U.S. Pacific Command leader, told reporters during his visit to China last month that while building and operating a carrier battle group is complex, the United States is willing to help.
"We would, if they choose to develop [an aircraft-carrier program], help them to the degree that they seek and the degree that we're capable, in developing their programs," Adm. Keating said.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1845931/posts
U.S. may share missile info with China
WASHINGTON, June 4 (UPI) -- The United States would "seriously" consider sharing technology and missile warning intelligence with China, (Secretary of Defense Gates) the U.S. defense chief said Sunday.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1846099/posts
Not 8 of them.
The majority of the populace does however our leaders and ceo's don't.
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