BEIJING // The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, has called for better communication between Washington and Beijing on military issues, although analysts are sceptical China will offer the openness the Americans hope for.
Yesterday, Mr Gates held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, ahead of a summit in Washington next week between the US and Chinese presidents, Barack Obama and Hu Jintao.
Mr Gates's visit to the Chinese capital had been delayed after Beijing suspended military ties a year ago over a $6.4 billion (Dh23.51bn) US arms sale to Taiwan.
Mr Gates said after the meeting: "We are in strong agreement that in order to reduce the chances of miscommunication, misunderstanding or miscalculation, it is important that our military-to-military ties are solid, consistent and not subject to shifting political winds," adding there were "many areas where we have mutual interests and can work together".
Mr Liang echoed Mr Gates's view, telling reporters the sides "agreed that sustained and reliable military-to-military contacts will help reduce misunderstanding and miscalculation".
However, some reports suggested an announcement yesterday over the setting up of a working group to discuss future talks fell short of the firm commitments over cooperation Mr Gates had hoped for.
In addition, controversy over Taiwan re-erupted when Mr Liang restated China's opposition to US arms sales to the self-ruled island, which China claims as its own.
The past year has seen tension over the Korean peninsula, with China refusing to echo US condemnation of the North Korean shelling of South Korea's Yeonpyeong island.
There is also concern about what China's neighbours perceive as Beijing's growing assertiveness, seen during a diplomatic spat with Japan in September over the detention of a Chinese trawler captain in disputed waters.
What some have claimed is a more forceful attitude coincides with Beijing's military build-up. There were double-digit annual increases in officially announced defence spending from 1989 to 2009.
A US admiral recently said a Chinese land-based anti-ship ballistic missile that could threaten US aircraft carriers was operational, while recent photographs revealed that China appeared to be further ahead than many believed in developing a next-generation stealth bomber.
Ding Xueliang, a professor and foreign affairs analyst at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said that he had "no confidence at all" that the US administration would secure the openness it seeks on "the real military development and modernisation in China [and] the intentions of the Chinese military".
"I don't think the Chinese side will be so willing to make these two crucial issues as transparent as the US would like," he said.
"The Chinese side will, perhaps, give Mr Gates some gesture to reduce hostility from the US and create some good atmosphere before Hu Jintao's visit to the US but I don't think he can get the real substantial things from the Chinese military."
