WASHINGTON, March 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said here on Wednesday the military relationship between
the United States and China is steadily improving despite a recent incident
between the two sides over an American surveillance ship in the South China Sea.
"One of the concerns that I have about Impeccable
(the U.S. surveillance ship) is that my impression was that the military
relationship was steadily improving," Gates said at a news briefing.
The Pentagon complained earlier last week that the
U.S. surveillance ship, the USNS Impeccable, was confronted by Chinese ships on
March 8 in areas off China's Hainan Island.
China rejected the U.S. accusation and said the U.S.
surveillance ship was operating "illegally" within its exclusive economic zone.
"I would like to see us put this behind us, not have
another incident like it, and continue that improvement in the relationship,"
Gates said.
Responding to a question, the defense secretary said
he does not think China is pushing the 7th Fleet of the United States out of the
South China Sea and there is no need for the United States to send destroyers or
warships to the region to escort other U.S. ships.
He said based on the diplomatic exchanges that have
taken place since the incident went public, he does not expect a repetition of
such incidents. "So it would make it unnecessary to send warships," he said.
The incident about the Impeccable surfaced shortly
before Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's arrival in the United States for a
five-day working visit as guest of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
After her meeting with Yang last Wednesday, Clinton
told reporters that the two sides agreed on the need to reduce tensions and
avoid a repeat of a similar confrontation between American and Chinese vessels
in the South China Sea.
"We both agreed that we should work to ensure that
such incidents do not happen again," she said.
"We have each stated our positions, but the important
point of agreement coming out of my discussions with Minister Yang is that we
must work hard in the future to avoid such incidents and to avoid this
particular incident having consequences that are unforeseen," she said.
U.S., China agree to continue regular parliamentary exchanges
WASHINGTON, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China on Thursday agreed to continue to use and further develop those regular exchange mechanisms established before to facilitate parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.
The consensus was reached during a meeting between Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives and a delegation of China's National People's Congress (NPC), headed by Chairman Li Zhaoxing of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee. Full story
Obama: U.S. favors stronger relations with China
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday the United States and China share important international responsibilities and his administration is committed to a stronger relationship with China to make joint efforts in dealing with various global issues and challenges.
Obama made the remarks at a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the White House, according to Chinese officials.
Chinese, U.S. top diplomats hold talks
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton held talks here Wednesday, exchanging views on bilateral relations and other issues of mutual concerns, including the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula and the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
The two diplomats reached consensus on a wide range of issues, agreeing to further strengthen dialogues and cooperation and make joint efforts to push bilateral ties forward.
