05 September 2001

Rumsfeld Says U.S. Does Not Approve of China's Nuclear Buildup

By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the United States will not drop its opposition to the modernization of China's strategic nuclear forces in return for China's support for a proposed U.S. missile defense system currently undergoing research and testing.

Rumsfeld responded to comments from Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee members September 5, who were citing published news reports the Bush administration was willing to engage in a trade-off with the Chinese for support of its ballistic missile defense program.

"The suggestion that the United States has or is poised to approve of China's military and nuclear buildup for some reason in exchange for something is simply not the case," Rumsfeld said.

Rumsfeld appeared before the defense subcommittee to urge Congress to support the entire $329,000 million fiscal year 2002 funding for the Defense Department. He told the subcommittee the Pentagon "needs every nickel of this budget." The proposed defense-spending plan includes $18,400 million that was added in June by the Bush administration. The original budget proposal was sent to Congress by the Clinton administration.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith said September 4 during a Pentagon media briefing that it was not true the United States wanted a trade-off with the Chinese over missile defense. "It is not correct that the U.S. government has any idea of withholding objections to China's nuclear modernization program in return for China's withholding objections to the U.S. missile defense program," he said. "That's not U.S. policy; it's not our attitude."

Feith said the United States has concerns about Chinese development of long-range nuclear capabilities, and development of shorter-range missile capabilities, which have not contributed to stability in the East Asia region.

"We have concerns about the proliferation activities of the Chinese government," Feith said. "And the U.S. government over the weekend imposed sanctions on China for the provision of missile technology to Pakistan."

Chinese officials have voiced opposition to the missile defense plan that is being proposed by the Bush administration, but have said they are willing to engage in serious dialogue with the administration, which announced over the Labor Day weekend that it would intensify efforts to seek Chinese support.

At the White House, press secretary Ari Fleischer said September 4 that the "United States will not seek to overcome China's opposition to missile defense by telling the Chinese that we do not object to an expansion of their nuclear ballistic missile force. Nor will we acquiesce in any resumption of nuclear testing by China."