U.S. not trying to hold China down: Gates

Taking forward the United States' conciliatory approach towards China, possibly in anticipation of a major fighter aircraft sale to Taiwan later this year, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that his country was “not trying to hold China down.”

Speaking to media on the eve of the Shangri-La talks between the U.S. and East Asian nations, Mr. Gates said China had been a “great power for thousands of years.” He added that China “is a global power and will be a global power.” The Secretary's comments came in the wake of recent moves between the U.S. and China, to bring greater rapprochement to a bilateral relationship that hit a frosty low last year. Following U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement of a major weapons sale to Taiwan in January 2010, Beijing severed all military ties with Washington.

Notwithstanding Mr. Gates' efforts, history could well be on the brink of repeating itself as last week 45 Senators from both sides of the U.S. Congress urged the White House to press forward with the sale of 66 new F-16 C/D fighters to Taiwan.

“Without new fighter aircraft and upgrades to its existing fleet of F-16s, Taiwan will be dangerously exposed to Chinese military threats, aggression and provocation, which pose significant national security implications for the United States,” said the Senators in their letter.

Mr. Gates echoed similar sentiments on the U.S.' interests in Taiwan, however treading a careful line with regards to the implications of this for China. He said while the U.S. did have obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act, under both the Bush and Obama administrations, it had tried to “thread the needle pretty carefully in terms of Taiwan's defensive capabilities, but at the same time being aware of China's sensitivities.”

When the U.S. invited the People's Liberation Army Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde to Washington recently as part of the broader attempt to reset military-to-military relations, the Chinese General was reported to have “renewed his objection to any U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.” Yet even General Bingde sought to water down recent calls in the U.S. for more transparency in Chinese military capabilities, particularly in terms of their focus on Taiwan. Arguing that American claims of Chinese military capabilities are exaggerated, the General said “China's efforts to enhance... military capabilities is mainly targeted at separatist forces ... who have attempted to split Taiwan away from China.”