TEXT: DEFENSE DEPT. STATEMENT ON VISIT OF GEN. CHI HAOTIAN
(China Minister of Defense to visit the United States)

Washington -- China's miniser of defense, General Chi Haotian, will arrive in New York December 5 for an official two-week visit to the United States at the invitation of his counterpart, Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, according to the Department of Defense.

General Chi will begin two days of talks in Washington, D.C., Monday, December 9, including meetings at the Department of Defense with the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and the service chiefs. He will also have meetings with senior White House and State Department officials.

Following is the official text of the statement:

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Dec. 5, 1996

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA MINISTER OF DEFENSE
TO VISIT THE UNITED STATES

Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, State Councilor, and Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, General Chi Haotian, will arrive in New York today for an official two-week visit to the United States at the invitation of his counterpart, Secretary of Defense William J. Perry. General Chi will be accompanied by his spouse and a 20- member delegation including senior military leaders representing the Peoples' Liberation Army General Staff and Logistics Departments, Navy, Air Force, and Strategic Rocket Forces, as well as the commander of the Guangzhou Military Region Command, and a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

General Chi will begin his visit at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Later, in New York City, he will meet with representatives of the PRC mission to the United Nations and attend a dinner of senior corporate, military, and opinion leaders hosted by the U.S.-China National Committee. Sunday, he will visit Gettysburg National Park, where Secretary Perry will accompany him on a tour of the historic Civil War battlefield.

General Chi will begin two days of talks in Washington, D.C., Monday, including meetings at the Department of Defense with the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and the service chiefs. He will also have meetings with senior White House and State Department officials. Additionally, General Chi has been invited to a private breakfast sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that will be attended by members of Congress, former public officials, and academics. He also intends to visit the National Defense University, where he will meet with former U.S. secretaries of defense and deliver a speech on Chinese security policies.

Key topics for discussion during Minister Chi's stay in Washington include a range of global and Asia-Pacific regional security issues, as well as the future of bilateral military relations. The two sides will engage in a broad discussion of their common interests as well as their disagreements in these areas, so as to increase mutual understanding and enhance prospects for cooperation.

Outside of Washington, General Chi's delegation will travel to and observe U.S. Air Force and Navy facilities in Norfolk, Va.; the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.; U.S. Army ground force units at Ft. Hood, Texas; and the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Sandia Lab in Albuquerque, N.M., where they will discuss technologies which could be used to verify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty signed by both the United States and the People's Republic China. These activities will further the objectives of increasing mutual understanding, promoting military transparency, and identifying possible areas for future military exchanges.

Additionally, during the delegation's travel outside of Washington, the members will have a chance to more broadly see various aspects of American society and culture, necessary to comprehensively understand a nation's aspirations, capabilities, and security interests.

General Chi and his delegation will conclude their visit in Hawaii, where they will be hosted by Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, commander-in-chief of the U. S. Pacific Command. The delegation will meet with representatives of the Pacific Command and will engage in a summary discussion of strategic and military issues of concern to both sides.

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