China accepts U.S. invitation to watch military exercise
(Kyodo)
Updated: 2006-06-08 21:40
China accepts an invitation from the United States to observe a U.S. military
exercise to be held this month in Guam, which has been extended to build ties
between the two sides, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
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US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is pictured here in
Jakarta. China said Rumsfeld's criticisms about a lack of transparency in
the Chinese military were unacceptable.
[AFP]
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"We will accept the invitation and send people to watch" the exercise, Liu
Jianchao said at a regular press briefing.
U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. William Fallon had invited China to
observe the exercise during a visit to China last month, according to the Xinhua
News Agency.
Military ties between the two countries have been chilly since the 2001
collision of a U.S. Navy plane and a Chinese fighter jet off China's southern
coast, but steps for improvement including military officials' visits have been
taken in the recent past.
High-level military consultations between the two countries were also held in
Beijing on Thursday.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman led the U.S. delegation,
while Zhang Qinsheng, assistant chief of the General Staff of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army, headed the Chinese group, according to Liu.
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