United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday emphasised that China posed no threat to Washington. Responding to a specific question from a top Chinese official at the Asia Security Conference in Singapore, Mr. Rumsfeld insisted that "no nation threatens China", either.
By P. S. Suryanarayana
SINGAPORE: United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday emphasised that China posed no threat to Washington. Responding to a specific question from a top Chinese official at the Asia Security Conference in Singapore, Mr. Rumsfeld insisted that "no nation threatens China", either.
In the same breath, he sought to warn China that its international profile would diminish if it were to fail to "open up" its political system.
Speaking at the inaugural plenary session of the conference, the fourth annual event in a series called the 'Shangri-La Dialogue', Mr. Rumsfeld claimed that China's arms build-up and also unpublicised defence expenditure "is putting the delicate military balance in the [Asian] region at risk - especially, but not only, with respect to Taiwan". The conference is being held under the auspices of the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Asked further whether he truly believed that "the U.S. feels threatened by the so-called emergence of China and, if so, in what way", the Defence Secretary said: " No. We don't feel threatened by the emergence of China". In that context, however, he insisted that the Chinese "will have to open up their political system in a way that is consistent and compatible with an open economic system which provides that engine for growth. To the extent they don't, the country's future will be less bright and their role in the world will be less significant".
"Usable nuclear weapon"
Mr. Rumsfeld on Saturday affirmed at the ongoing Asia Security Conference in Singapore that no development of a so-called "usable nuclear weapon" had been ordered by Washington.
Seeking to contradict claims to the contrary, Mr. Rumsfeld said the effort was to make a `study' of how best to fabricate a conventional nuclear device for some specific purpose. Speaking of Pakistan's peace-keeping experiences, the Pakistani Minister of State for Defence, Zahid Hamid, said the U.N. observers in regard to Jammu and Kashmir had played a role conducive to the India-Pakistan peace process. India was represented by S. Jaishankar, Joint Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.
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