A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said yesterday that claims by
the US Defense Secretary that China's defense budget is now the
largest in Asia and third largest in the world were "totally
groundless."
"In recent years, following the pace of China's
economic development, defense spending has indeed increased a
little," said Liu Jianchao at the ministry's regular press
conference. "But the bulk of this is for improving officers' and
soldiers' living conditions. China has neither the intention nor
the capability to drastically increase its military buildup."
Donald Rumsfeld had said during an international
security conference in Singapore on Saturday that China was
spending too much on a military buildup, risking an unbalanced
military situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Since no nation threatens China, one wonders: Why
this growing investment? Why these continuing large weapons
purchases?" he had asked.
In fact, Liu said, compared with other major
countries, China's military spending has always been low. "Last
year, defense expenditure was 211.7 billion yuan (US$25 billion)
and US military spending US$455.9 billion -- 17.8 times that of
China."
"Any words or deeds that create and hype up a
Chinese military threat are unfavorable to the peace and stability
of the region and the world," he said, adding that China hoped the
US would respect this and do more for the healthy development of
Sino-US relations.
UN reform
Liu also reiterated that decisions over UN Security
Council reform should be fully democratic and allow broad
consensus.
Although member states have not yet reached a
consensus, Germany, Japan, Brazil and India, the Group of Four,
have proposed a draft resolution on Security Council expansion and
are pushing for a vote on it. Such a move "is not conducive to the
solidarity of UN members and runs counter to the original intention
of UN reform," Liu said.
It is reported that the Group of Four will delay
submission of the draft resolution on UN reform to the General
Assembly until at least next month from the initially targeted
June.
Economic aid cannot offset wartime
past
Liu said Japan's economic assistance to other Asian
countries cannot offset the harm it caused them in the past.
"Japan does not face up to history. It is trying to
gloss over its past," he said in response to Japanese Foreign
Minister Nobutaka Machimura's remarks on Monday.
Machimura called China's criticism of Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine
"outrageous," and Japanese officials have complained China was
ignoring Tokyo's economic assistance to developing countries.
The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo honors 14 convicted
Class-A war criminals responsible for WWII atrocities along with
all other of the country's war dead.
"Japanese leaders' worshiping at the Yasukuni
Shrine constitutes a negation of Japan's history of aggression
against other countries," said Liu.
He said that while it is good of Japan to offer
development assistance, its "wartime past cannot be erased" with
it.
US-DPRK officials' meeting
welcomed
Liu said China welcomed Monday's meeting in New
York between officials of the US and the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The US was represented by Joseph DiTrani, US
special envoy to the six-party talks, and Jim Foster, director of
the State Department's Office of Korean Affairs. They conferred
with DPRK officials on the resumption of six-party talks on the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, following their working talks in
New York on May 13.
"China always welcomes and encourages contacts
between the US and DPRK, and is making efforts to promote their
meeting." Liu said, adding that the meeting was quite
"helpful."
"We should not lose hope for the settlement of the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue at any time," Liu said.
The six-party talks have been stalled since last
June as the DPRK accused the US of adopting a hostile policy toward
Pyongyang.
Liu called on all parties to keep patient and play
a constructive role in promoting the early resumption of the new
round of six-party talks.
China supports Pakistan, Iran,
India becoming SCO observers
Liu said China welcomed and supported Pakistan,
Iran and India in becoming observers in the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO).
At a SCO foreign ministers' meeting held last
Saturday in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, SCO member states agreed
in principle to give the three countries SCO observer status. The
SCO will make a formal decision on the issue at a summit in Astana
in July.
Liu said the three are influential in the region,
and China believes it would further promote mutually beneficial
cooperation.
Member state foreign ministers and vice foreign
ministers attended Saturday's meeting, with the Mongolian foreign
minister attending as an observer.
They discussed furthering cooperation and
preparations for the forthcoming SCO summit, and exchanged views on
other international and regional issues.
The SCO, set up in June 2001 to promote regional
cooperation and fight terrorism, extremism and separatism, includes
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
Armenian foreign minister to
visit
Liu announced that Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan will visit from June 12 to 14 at the invitation of Foreign
Minister Li
Zhaoxing.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency June 8,
2005)