U.S. appeals to China to restore military ties

Gates has singled out China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) as the main obstruction in the way of improved relations, saying its position was at odds with that of the country's political leadership, which he has said supports closer military ties.

“Only in the military-to-military arena has progress on critical mutual security issues been held hostage over something that is, quite frankly, old news,” Gates said.

He said arms sales to Taiwan have spanned decades and were “an important component of maintaining peace and stability in cross-strait relations and throughout the region” because China's own military buildup is largely focused on the self-ruled island.

Gates said this should not be seen as threatening to China because the United States has long made clear it does not support independence for Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

A senior member of the Chinese delegation, Major General Zhu Chenghu of the National Defense University, challenged Gates directly after his speech, saying his country was not to blame for stalling military-to-military ties.

He said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan ran counter to Beijing's “core” interests and sent the message that America saw the Chinese as “enemies.”

Gates chaffed at the characterization: “I would just like to state for the record that the United States does not consider China as an enemy but as a partner in many areas.”

After his speech, Gates shook hands with the head of the Chinese delegation, General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the PLA's general staff, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.

Ma played down the extent to which Beijing has scaled back contacts with the U.S. military, saying only high-level visits have been “temporarily suspended”.

Some U.S. officials saw the friction with China as particularly worrisome given heightened tensions in the region after the United States and South Korea concluded that North Korea was behind the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March, killing 46 sailors.

Seoul has referred the matter to the U.N. Security Council, but it is unclear what action, if any, the body will take.

Beijing, which is North Korea's only major ally and which fought alongside the North in the Korean War, has declined publicly to join international condemnation of Pyongyang, saying it is still assessing the evidence.

As a permanent member of the Security Council, China can veto any proposed resolution or statement.

Pentagon strategists have voiced alarm at what they see as China's faster-than-expected military build-up, from powerful anti-ship missiles to an advanced combat jet that may rival the premier U.S. fighter, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 Raptor, within eight years.

Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, said there were concerns across the region about the “intent” of China's “profound” military buildup and increased maritime “assertiveness.”

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