China's Hu urges staunch defense

Hu's comments to People's Liberation Army officers, published in the official People's Daily on Thursday, did not mention the PLA Navy's run-in on Sunday with a U.S. Navy survey ship off the Chinese island province of Hainan.

There have been no signs that Beijing wants to expand the dispute, in which China says the U.S. ship violated its sovereignty by monitoring waters in its exclusive economic zone. Washington has said its ship, the Impeccable, was in international waters.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, visiting Washington, said on Wednesday that relations were “at a new starting point and have important opportunities to develop,” the ministry Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn) reported.

But Hu, who also serves as Communist Party chief and supreme military leader, made it clear that Beijing does not want to be seen as bowing to others.

“Vigorously advance modernization of national defence and the military,” Hu said on Wednesday, speaking to PLA officers attending the annual session of the Party-run parliament.

“Staunchly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and provide a powerful support and assurance for protecting national development interests and broad social stability.”

Hu will have his first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama when both leaders attend the G-20 summit on the global financial crisis in London next month.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang has been in Washington to prepare for that meeting. He told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the two powers should “advance China-U.S. relations constantly forward on a healthy, stable track”.

Zhang Deshun, a rear-admiral in the PLA Navy, said the United States remained welcome to watch a Chinese naval parade off the eastern port of Qingdao next month, the China Daily reported.

“The incident ... is not going to deter everything,” he told the paper.

But China's leaders are also wary of perceived slights and are mindful of sometimes fervent nationalism which has flared in the past after military disputes with the United States.

Hu's comments, prominent in official newspapers, appeared to reflect those concerns. He urged the PLA officers to be on guard against “perils.”

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