US, China keep it amicable during Tillerson’s first visit

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(Hot news Today Monday 20 March 2017)

US, China keep it amicable during Tillerson’s first visit

A Chinese paramilitary policeman standing guard in front of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s plane

in Beijing yesterday. Photo: REUTERS

Tillerson will repeat many times this (Thaad system) is no threat to China, but Xi won’t believe it.

BEIJING — American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Xi Jinping of China cast aside their differences yesterday with a public display of cooperation, with both sides refraining from comment even as North Korea made another defiant statement by showing off a new missile engine.

In the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the two countries since Mr Donald Trump became US President, the two made no mention of other contentious issues, including possible punitive trade measures against China, and Washington’s  unhappiness with Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Mr Xi, greeting the Secretary of State in an ornate room in the Great Hall of the People, thanked Mr Tillerson for a smooth transition to the Trump administration and expressed his appreciation for the sentiment that “the China-US relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship”.

Mr Xi noted he had communicated with Mr Trump several times through telephone conversations and messages.

“We both believe that China-US cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development,” said Mr Xi. “The joint interests of China and the United States far outweigh the differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice for  us both,” he added, in comments carried by China’s Foreign Ministry.

At least in public, Mr Tillerson adopted a far different tone than that  of Mr Trump, who said in a post on Twitter on Friday that China had “done little to help” on North Korea, instead saying that the US looked forward to stronger ties with China. He said Mr Trump looked forward to enhancing understanding with China and the  opportunity for a visit in the future.

The Secretary of State said Mr Trump places a “very high value on the communications that have already occurred” between the leaders of the countries. “We know that through further dialogue, we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation.”

Mr William Cohen, a former US defence secretary, said Mr Tillerson’s visit was important for both sides.

“The symbolism here is going to be as important as the substance,” he told Reuters. “Because the substance will come later.”

But, behind the scenes, diplomats and analysts said there was little doubt that Mr Tillerson had pressed China to enforce sanctions against North Korea, and had raised the possibility that the US would bolster its missile defence in Asia if Beijing did not rein in Pyongyang.

China strongly objects to the installation of a missile defence system in South Korea, and the polite public words from Mr Tillerson were designed to give China “face”, said a diplomat in Beijing who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Mr Tillerson was almost certainly sterner in private, according to the diplomat. “I believe Tillerson repeated in the meetings what he said publicly in South Korea and Japan, and backed up Trump in his tweet,” said the diplomat.

En route to Beijing, Mr Tillerson visited US allies Japan and South Korea, where he declared Washington would drop the “failed” approach of “strategic patience” with Pyongyang — adding that US military action against the North was possible. That marked a sharp break with China, which favours careful diplomacy over heated rhetoric.

At the summit meeting between Mr Xi and Mr Trump, reportedly to take place early next month, China is expected to seek a reaffirmation of the “One China” policy under which the US recognises a single government in Beijing, and does not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Mr Trump’s trade team is expected to be in place by the time Mr Xi reaches Florida, and the Chinese will be eager to deter plans for tariffs and moves towards more stringent scrutiny of Chinese investment in America.

Chinese analysts said the Secretary probably encountered resistance to his arguments that the missile  defence system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or Thaad, was of little danger to China, which firmly believes the system erodes its nuclear deterrent.

“Tillerson will repeat many times this is no threat to China, but Xi won’t believe it,” said Mr Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University. AGENCIES

About Author

Mr Shi Yinhong is Professor of  International  Relations at RENMIN University in China

KIm hails ‘New BIrth’ for N Korea’s Rocket Industry After Test

North Korea has tested a powerful new rocket engine, said state media yesterday, with leader Kim Jong-un hailing the successful test as a ‘new birth’ for the nation’s rocket industry.

The test took place just as American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was visiting China over the weekend, where he warned that regional tensions had reached a dangerous level.

Mr Kim had overseen the operation, and “emphasised that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries”, reported the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), hinting that the North could use the new engine to launch a rocket to put a satellite in orbit.

Rocket engines are easily re-purposed for use in missiles.

“The development and completion of a new-type high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite-delivery capability in the field of outer space development,” said KCNA. “The leader (Mr Kim) noted that the success made in the current test marked a great event of historic significance as it declared a new birth of the Juche-based rocket industry.”

Juche refers to North Korea’s homegrown ideology of self-reliance.

Ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun splashed photos across its front page showing a beaming, baton-wielding Mr Kim looking on as flames roared out of the engine. Since Mr Kim took power in 2011, North Korea has launched 46 ballistic missiles, including 24 last year, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, according to South Korean officials.

In August, North Korea said it had successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, after failing in several earlier attempts. Last month, it launched a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile it said could carry a nuclear payload. And this month, it launched four ballistic missiles at the same time. It has said it is close to the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which can strike as far away as the United States.

The US and China pledged to work together to get the North to take “a different course” and move away from its weapons programmes, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after meeting his Chinese counterpart on Saturday. AGENCIES