China and India seek closer ties

Panetta to visit China

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will visit China in September, said Cai Yingting, deputy chief of the General Staff of the PLA.

Cai announced the visit during his recent week-long visit to the US.

It will be Panetta’s first visit to China since taking office in July 2011.

Obstacles in bilateral military ties, such as US arms sales to Taiwan, the US pivot to Asia and adjustment on its defense policies, are likely to be high on the agenda, said Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher on international affairs at the China Institute of International Studies.

"The US has been trying to affect China’s future national defense and security policy to contain China on the one hand, and on the other hand keep a normal relationship with China," Jia said.

US concerns about China’s military transparency and the build-up of national defense capability are likely to be discussed during Panetta’s visit, said Jia.

Jia said Panetta is also likely to respond to China’s concerns including the US stance on the South China Sea issue and the Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan, a close ally of the US in Asia.

China is firmly opposed to the US stance that the Diaoyu Islands fall within the scope of the US-Japan security treaty, under which Washington would provide assistance if Tokyo’s territories came under an armed attack.

"The two countries should solve the problem of having a lack of mutual strategic trust, which this visit is expected to help improve," Jia said.

"The US and China are neither allies nor enemies, and their competition should not be confrontational," Jia added.

Panetta visited Delhi in June, and tried to make India part of the alliance against China. He also called for a deepening of their defense cooperation to provide more stability in the Asian region.

Relations between the US and India have become closer as they have strategic need for each other, according to Jia.

"India hopes to make use of its relationship with the US to win more bargaining chips for its interaction with China," Jia said.

In the meantime, India is fully aware of the importance of its relationship with China, Jia said.

"Although the two countries have conflicts including the border issue, the main focus of bilateral ties is to seek more cooperation. They are not in competition," he added.

Contact the writers at

qinzhongwei@chinadaily.com.cn and chengguangjin@chinadaily.com.cn