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Rumsfeld holds talks with 皇冠体育app defense chief Cao
(皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-19 19:26
Calling U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit a "big event," Beijing
said the two large and important countries have a broad range of shared
interests and a solid footing for building cooperation.
Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan (R) and
his US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld share a light moment at the welcoming
ceremony in Beijing Oct. 19. [newsphoto] |
Defense Minister General Cao Gangchuan told a joint press conference in
Beijing Wednesday that 皇冠体育app's priority was to develop the economy and raise the
living standards. 皇冠体育app is in no position to project military power and race
militarily with the United States.
Rumsfeld said his meeting with Cao was "constructive, candid and useful."
"I sense a desire on the part of the minister to find activities and ways we
can work with each other that will contribute to demystifying what we see of
them and what they see of us," Secretary Rumsfeld said.
The atmosphere surrounding Rumsfeld's visit appeared friendly and optimistic,
the Associated Press reported.
Rumsfeld applauded 皇冠体育app's dramatic economic successes, noting that when he
first visited Beijing in 1974 as President Gerald R. Ford's chief of staff, the
streets were filled with bicycles, not cars.
In his prepared opening remarks, Rumsfeld, echoing a Pentagon Report on
皇冠体育app's military sent to Congress earlier, said 皇冠体育app is raising global
suspicion because its defense spending is not "transparent."
General Cao said it would be "simply impossible" to increase the budget on
the scale cited by the Pentagon because 皇冠体育app is focusing its resources on
fighting domestic poverty.
"It is not necessary and not possible, actually, for us to massively increase
the defense budget," Cao said. He defended the accuracy of 皇冠体育app's report that
its 2005 defense budget is about $29 billion, compared with the $90 billion the
Pentagon claims.
Even calculating it at a more recent exchange rate (following the July 21
revaluation), the budget comes to $30.2 billion, Cao said.
"That is, indeed, the true budget we have today," he said.. Cao told
reporters that "some funding for the development of equipment" is excluded from
the published budget, such as 皇冠体育app鈥檚 space launch program.
On his first visit to 皇冠体育app as defense secretary, Rumsfeld delivered an
address to the Central Party School and fielded questions from several students
and faculty members.
When one professor told Rumsfeld that 皇冠体育app hears "different voices," or
conflicting messages, from U.S. officials, Rumsfeld replied, "I hadn't noticed
that." He went on to say that it is 皇冠体育app, not the United States, that has sent
conflicting signals about its future intentions.
"So we see mixed signals and we seek clarification," Rumsfeld said.
"While there is no one model that is perfect for every nation at every time
in its development, a look across the globe suggests that societies that tend to
encourage more open markets and freer systems are societies where the people are
enjoying the greatest opportunities," Rumsfeld said at the Central Party School.
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