By Guo Qiang
A senior Chinese military official laid blame on the United States over the weekend for obstructing the development of smooth Sino-US military ties, claiming at a major Asian security conference in Singapore that the problems stem from US arms sales to Taiwan and maritime conflicts.
"The barrier between US-China military relations is not built by China," General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said during question-and-answer session of the 9th Asia Security Summit, attended by defense ministers and policymakers from 28 nations.
The comment comes just days after Chinese officials refused to meet with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was attempting to mend relations and discuss security issues.
According to Ma, there are three main obstacles standing in the way of the development of bilateral military relations: the Taiwan sales, frequent reconnaissance by US naval ships and aircraft in the waters of the East and South China Sea, and some US laws, such as the 2000 Fiscal Year Defense Authorization Law passed by the Congress, which limits military exchanges with China.
"The US has stuck to its old path, and the arms sales remain a serious issue disturbing US-China relations over the past 30 years," he said.
Gates expressed disappointment Thursday at China's decision to call off his planned visit to the country. He said China's military leaders are "significantly less interested" in building ties with Washington than are the political leadership, calling China's military a roadblock to better overall relations between the US and China.
