Quake 'a chance' to improve relations
WASHINGTON: A top US commander said on Wednesday he senses a change in the wind in China following the catastrophic earthquake that has prompted it to embrace outside help.
"We are recognizing the obvious," Admiral Timothy Keating, head of the US Pacific Command, said. "China's reaction in the aftermath of this earthquake is different to what its reaction has been to other natural disasters in the country.
"While it is catastrophic and tragic, it nonetheless is an opportunity for us to improve and increase communications we have with officials in China. And that is beneficial from our position."
Keating spoke on the same day that of Communist Party of China General Secretary Hu Jintao met with the leader of the Kuomingtang in Beijing and promised to promote peaceful relations across the Taiwan Straits.
Asked whether he sensed a change in the wind in China, Keating said: "The short answer is yes."
He said he was "encouraged" by the dialogue across the Straits as well as Taiwan's offer of assistance in relief aid to earthquake victims.
The admiral's comments marked a change in tone for the US military, which over the past several years has frequently raised questions about China's military modernization.
Those concerns could be raised again this weekend when US Defense Secretary Robert Gates addresses an annual Asian security conference in Singapore.
However, US defense officials said he would tread cautiously.
"They are making progress on the transparency front, it is slow, but it is improving," a defense official traveling with Gates said.
Agencies
(China Daily 05/30/2008 page6)
