China says that Taiwan is the main obstacle in China-U.S. relations

[News_Editor]

China says that Taiwan is the main obstacle in China-U.S. relations

2010-10-12 05:01:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

HANOI, VIETNAM (BNO NEWS) – A Chinese official on Monday said that Taiwan is the main obstacle in the on and off defense relations between China and the United States, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Guan Youfei, a Chinese Defense Ministry official, the continuous sale of weapons from the United States to Taiwan is the biggest obstacle in the military ties between the two world powers. In January, China broke its defense relations with the United States after a planned sale of more than $6 billion worth in arms to Taiwan.

The United States had planned to sell Blackhawk helicopters, Patriot missiles and mine-hunting ships. China still considers Taiwan as part of its territory despite the fact that it has governed itself since the end of the civil war in 1949.

Guan's remarks came after the announcement that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates accepted an invitation to visit the Asian giant next year. Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie will meet with Gates for the first time since January.

Liang told Gates that it is important for the two countries to respect each other's main interests and major concerns, consolidate mutual trust and decrease suspicion and misjudgment, and properly settle differences and sensitive issues in order to maintain its bilateral military ties in order.

This week, the U.S. and China will hold their annual consultations on maritime security in Hawaii this week. The meeting will be followed by the new series of annual defense consultations. The pair met before the opening of an Asian defense forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

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