----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2000 1:26 PM Subject: [STOPNATO] U.S. Missile Plan Could Boost Beijing-Moscow Alliance STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php?id=178637 U.S. Missile Plan Could Boost Beijing-Moscow Axis BEIJING, Jul 14, 2000 -- (Reuters) U.S. deployment of a national missile defense (NMD) system could push China and Russia closer together in a strategic alliance to protect common security interests, Beijing's top disarmament diplomat said on Thursday. The warning from Sha Zukang, head of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control and Disarmament, turned up the heat on Washington on the last day of a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen to Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Beijing next week and Moscow said earlier this month it was boosting efforts to carve out a strategic partnership with China to counteract the impact of NMD on the global balance of power. China and Russia have both strongly opposed NMD despite U.S. assurances that the system is not directed against them but at states with missile programs like Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. Sha said China did not want to start an arms race with the United States but would have to take action if Washington deployed a system designed to protect vulnerable parts of the United States from long-range missiles. "China will not sit on its hands doing nothing while seeing its security seriously damaged," he told a news conference. STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH RUSSIA Sha said the relationship between China and giant neighbor Russia was "not targeted at any third party". "It's of a non-aligned nature," he said. "It's my belief this policy should not be changed." "Of course since this NMD will affect both international security, the security of Russia and China, I can tell you I expect that we will have to have more consultations and discussions to find out ways and means to eliminate or at least reduce this kind of security threat." Sha declined to elaborate on how the Moscow-Beijing alliance might change or to detail other possible retaliatory measures. "I wish I could tell you what options we have and what options we will do, but it's too early," he said. "NMD has not been deployed, the decision has not even been taken and there will be a lot of changes and uncertainties in the time to come," he said. A crucial test for NMD failed on Saturday, just four weeks before Cohen must make a recommendation to U.S. President Bill Clinton on the technical feasibility and cost of the system. Clinton will decide the next step later this year. ABM A STRATEGIC CORNERSTONE Sha said the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, which the United States wants to alter to allow NMD, was the cornerstone of global strategic stability. "It is only with the strategic stability as provided by the ABM treaty we will have the mutual trust, the mutual confidence knowing that you are not going to attack me, I am not going to attack you," he said. "Against that background we can proceed with arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation." Sha also suggested China was scornful of U.S. suspicions that Beijing was supplying newly nuclear Pakistan with missile technology - an issue Cohen said on Thursday still remained to be resolved. "As far as China is concerned we believe this matter is over," he said. "I don't think the U.S. should impose sanctions on one issue three times, four times or up to 10 times. Of course if they like to do that, we don't care." The United States imposed mild sanctions on China in 1991 and 1993 for transferring M-11 short range missile components to Pakistan, but they were lifted when Beijing agreed to abide by the guidelines of the Missile Technology Control Regime. Islamabad and Beijing both deny missile technology is changing hands. "You all know how accurate their information had been on the geographical location of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia," said Sha, referring to the bombing of Beijing's mission in Belgrade last year. Sha said attempts to contain China - which Cohen said on Thursday was not possible and not U.S. policy - were doomed to failure. "I can assure you they will never succeed - nobody, no one on the earth no matter superpower or not, alone, single-handedly or with others," Sha said. "China will stand firm as a big power in the world." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] BEST PRICES ON THE NET AT IMANDI.COM Cheapest prices on new cars, insurance, airfare, maids, custom pc's, mortgages, moving and more! Tell us what you want. We locate it for free -- across town & across the country. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/imandi
