China and the United States will reach a final decision on a
hotline between China's Defense Ministry and the US Defense
Department in September. The decision will be made when Zhang
Qinsheng, deputy-chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's
Liberation Army, visits the US for the ninth Sino-American defense
talks.
Zhang was at the Asian security forum in Singapore over the
weekend, clarifying China's peaceful development strategy and
defense policy.
If in place, the hotline will help improve military relations
between the two countries as the Pentagon grows increasingly wary
of China's modernization move to upgrade its military. The
Pentagon's annual report on China's military described the nation
as a military threat to the US.
At the conference in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates' optimism on future relations between China and the US
indicated the possibility of better communication.
Both China and the US have called for a more detailed military
dialogue. It is important for avoiding miscalculations. Gates asked
for more transparency on the part of the Chinese. At the same time,
China deserves trust from the US.
With talks well under way on economic and other fronts, the
establishment of a direct telephone link between the two defense
headquarters would help the two communicate better.
"As we gain experience in dealing with each other, relationships
can be forged that will build trust over time," Gates told the
forum.
It is hoped that the two countries will build real trust so that
misunderstandings will disappear. Gates' comment on dialogue, a
useful tool in helping countries with different ideologies better
understand each other, was constructive.
The US has kept asking China what its military intentions are.
China's answers, however, have fallen on deaf ears.
With a military hotline in the offing, the US military will get
more chances to talk to its Chinese counterpart. It is expected
that the conversations will be convincing to the US and the rest of
the world.
Time reveals a person's character. The fact that China's
peaceful development strategy has won the hearts of Asian
countries, as expressed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong, is a case in point.
China has no intention of challenging other countries
politically, economically or militarily.
(China Daily June 4, 2007)
