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U.S.: China cut exchanges over Taiwan sale

TOKYO — China has cut some military exchanges following Washington’s approval of a multibillion-dollar arms package for Taiwan, the commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific said Thursday.

Adm. Timothy Keating said China canceled or postponed several military-to-military exchanges following the Bush administration’s approval of a $6.5 billion package of weapons for the island. They are intended to help the island defend itself should China ever make good on its vow to invade if Taiwan should formalize its de facto independence.

China’s chief diplomat in Washington has called the sale a “gross violation” of U.S. commitments to Beijing.

Keating, speaking to reporters in Tokyo, said the Chinese have canceled several exchanges, including a humanitarian disaster relief exchange and a visit by a senior Chinese defense official to Washington and Hawaii. He did not elaborate further on what was canceled.

He said he hopes full exchanges will be resumed “as soon as possible.”

“We regret their so doing, we hope they will reconsider soon,” he said. “I’m sorry it happened. It’s regrettable.”

Keating said that relations between the two nation’s militaries continue to be close, however.

“There is a fairly healthy and robust exchange program at all levels,” Keating said, adding that although concerns persist over the growth and modernization of China’s forces, “no one wants to have a confrontation with China.”

“We watch China very carefully and we are as open as possible with them,” he said. “We encourage them to do the same.”