Chinese General Downplays Buildup

[unhappycamper]

Chinese General Downplays Buildup
Associated Press | January 14, 2008

BEIJING - China's top general sought to allay U.S. concerns Monday about his country's military buildup, but defended a decision late last year to deny Hong Kong port calls by an American aircraft carrier and other navy ships.

Gen. Chen Bingde, in charge of day-to-day operations for the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army, offered no new explanations as to why Beijing turned away the U.S. ships, a move that sparked consternation at the Pentagon.

"The distance between China and U.S. militaries is big. ... We don't have the ability to make you afraid of us," Chen, chief of the general staff, said at the beginning of talks at the Defense Ministry with Adm. Timothy Keating, the top U.S. commander in the Asia-Pacific region.

Keating, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, was making his first trip to China since Beijing turned away the USS Kitty Hawk and five ships accompanying it for a Hong Kong port call in November. The same week, two U.S. Navy minesweepers also were turned away after seeking shelter during a storm.

"China is a country with its own territory. If your ship wants to stop by in Hong Kong you have to follow the international rules and go through some procedures," Chen told Keating.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,159976,00.html