Rumsfeld complains of 'mixed signals'

China's defense minister says the country isn't understating defense spending.
WASHINGTON POST
BEIJING -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld complained to Chinese leaders Wednesday that they have been sending "mixed signals" about what kind of relationship they want with the United States, citing a series of diplomatic snubs in Asia and China's tepid response to U.S. proposals for expanded military exchanges.
Speaking to a small group of midlevel Communist Party officials and then in extended talks with the Chinese defense minister, Rumsfeld criticized China's "seeming preference" for regional organizations that exclude the United States and a recent decision not to invite U.S. officials to participate in an East Asian summit planned for December in Kuala Lumpur.
He also cited joint military exercises that China conducted earlier this year with Russia; a Chinese decision to exclude the U.S. military from multilateral search-and-rescue exercises in Hong Kong for the first time in three decades, and China's participation in a regional group that urged the United States to withdraw military forces from Uzbekistan in July.
Such actions, Rumsfeld argued, contradicted China's expressed desire for closer ties with the United States and, together with what he described as a rapid and secretive military buildup, raised questions about "whether China will make the right choices, choices that will serve the world's real interests in regional peace and stability."
"We see mixed signals," Rumsfeld said, on the second day of his official visit, "and we seek clarification."
Rejected assertions
At a joint news conference, the Chinese defense minister, Gen. Cao Gangchuan, rejected U.S. assertions about the pace of China's military buildup and denied that the government has been understating its defense spending. He said Chinese resources are focused on reducing domestic poverty.
"It is not necessary or even possible for us to massively increase the defense budget," Cao said, though he acknowledged that "some funding for the development of equipment" is excluded from this year's published budget of $30.2 billion. The Pentagon says true Chinese military spending could be as high as $90 billion.
President Hu Jintao, speaking before beginning a closed-door meeting with Rumsfeld later in the afternoon, said improving military ties will "play an important facilitating role in promoting the growth of our relationship as a whole."