From Asia Times Online:
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s willingness to resume military contacts with China comes at a time of what appears to be increasing tension between the two countries. China recently issued a report expressing concern about the US military presence in the Pacific Ocean, and it described as “grim” the security situation in the strait that separates China and Taiwan – an island Beijing calls a “renegade province”.
But some observers say such differences are not the reason Rumsfeld is interested in visiting China.
James Lilley, a former US ambassador to China, says Rumsfeld has avoided such trips until now because he feels the Chinese tend to get more out of the bilateral relationship than the Americans do.
