China Snub the U. S. Missile Defense

The U. S. failed to persuade China to support the Missile Defense plan.

The US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, James Kelly who visited Beijing to explain the MD plan, admitted that he had failed to persuade the Chinese officials. James Kelly said before leaving Beijing on Wednesday that ``Although we clearly have differences of opinion, our consultations on this subject were constructive and it constitute a good beginning.``

James Kelly told reporters, that he emphasized that the MD system is aimed at defending against an unpredictable attack by rogue states, not directed at China. And he told that both sides had discussed Taiwan issue, human rights issue and an emergency landing of a U.S. surveillance plane in Hinan Island, but he was reluctant to reveal detailed contents of the discussion.

The China government reconfirmed the opposition to the MD plan that it will bring about new arms race in the world, it is reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said that `` It will undermine the interests of other nations in the world as well as the US`s interests. We are opposed to the national missile defense system because it destroys the global strategic balance upsetting the international stability, and it also create new arms race.``

He also said that it is not acceptable that Taiwan is included in the Missile Defense system.

Lee Jong-Hwan ljhzip@donga.com