Chinese officials called for stronger military ties with the United States, but warned Washington against interfering in Taiwan's relations with the mainland, state media said Wednesday. Defense Minister Cao Gangchun told visiting U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday that Beijing wanted military ties to match deepening political relations, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. "We are glad to see our military ties gradually resume and develop in recent years with joint efforts on both sides," Xinhua quoted Cao as saying. He also warned Washington to avoid Beijing's dealings with Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims is part of its territory. China's No. 2 leader, Wu Bangguo, delivered the same message on Taiwan to the members of the congressional U.S.-China Working Group, according to Xinhua. The group is meeting with Chinese officials to prepare an agenda for an April summit between Presidents Hu Jintao and George W. Bush, members of the group said. They said they hoped to lay the groundwork for the leaders to make progress on trade, intellectual property rights and other areas. "The overall mission is to build on the diplomatic relationship and explore new areas of cooperation between the United States and China -- in trade, space and the military," its co-chairman Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, told The Associated Press. Beijing and Washington broke off military contacts in 2001 after the midair collision of a U.S. Navy surveillance plane with a Chinese fighter jet. They have been gradually restored over the past two years. Washington considers military ties a key part of diplomatic relations, and has urged Beijing to disclose more details about its 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army. A U.S. Pentagon report in July said China's rapid military buildup is causing anxiety among neighbors, and suggests Beijing wants to expand its power beyond Asia. Kirk said that despite Cao's optimism about ties, the defense minister was noncommittal on a proposal to establish a U.S.-Chinese military hotline. "Given the size and complexity of the Chinese military, it makes sense to have this 24-7 direct link," Kirk said. China was more enthusiastic about a proposal to engineer a docking ring for China's Shenzhou space capsule that would allow it to dock with any U.S. space vehicle or the International Space Station, Kirk said. China also delivered on earlier promises -- including sending an intellectual property rights ombudsman to Washington and committing 250 million yuan (US$30 million; euro25 million) to buying non-pirated software for government agencies and state-run businesses -- Kirk said. Taiwan has been a key irritant in U.S-China relations. The island and the mainland split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing has threatened to invade if it takes steps toward making its de facto independence permanent.
haha...get ready for the new world power....the people's republic of china. Do you guys think china will become like japan in ww2 and try to conquer asia?...
I am in the american military and would love to see some kind of relations between the two. Hmm and my surname is Cao
The chinese military could easily grow at a threatening rate so the rest of the world wants to be their friends. Glad to see China's growth!
