China ready for U.S. missile defense talks

'Bush wants Star Wars,' says a Chinese newspaper headline

BEIJING, China -- China says it is ready to hold talks on a plan by the United States to develop a new missile defense system.

Although China remains "firmly opposed" to the plan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said Thursday it would welcome a U.S. negotiating team.

"If the U.S. side is willing to send an envoy here, we are willing to have consultations," Sun said.

The U.S. State Department announced last week that a mission led by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly would visit China on May 14 and 15, as part of consultations on the Bush administration's National Missile Defense plan.

The Kelly trip to China follows visits by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to Japan and South Korea this week to explain the plan and a similar U.S. charm offensive in Europe.

Missile shield and the ABM

China believes the U.S. plan nullifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty -- a central Cold War-era treaty barring such defenses.

"As we have stated many times, we are firmly opposed to this," Sun said. "We hope the U.S. will proceed cautiously and continue to abide by the ABM."

Such a defense system would erode the effectiveness of China's nuclear force and cover Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.

China has not ruled out the use of force to reunite Taiwan with the mainland.

Such fears were heightened last month when U.S. President George W. Bush said he would do "whatever it took" to protect Taiwan.

Bush's statement departed from years of ambiguity over whether U.S. forces would help defend Taiwan if it were attacked by the mainland.

Bush has laid out a vision of 21st-century security based on smaller offensive nuclear arsenals and defenses capable of intercepting missiles fired by so-called "rogue states" such as North Korea or Iraq.

Washington is also considering a so-called Theatre Missile Defense plan to protect allies, like Japan, and its own troops in northeast Asia.

Spy plane return

Sun also repeated China's refusal to allow the United States to fly out its EP-3 spy plane which has been grounded on Hainan Island since an April 1 mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter.

The U.S. spy plane stranded in China is an easy bargaining chip in missile talks

"We've already clearly stated our position during previous discussions that it is impossible to let the spy plane fly back," Sun said.

"This does not mean that we will not return it, so the next step in this process will depend on the U.S," he said without elaborating.

The United States insists the plane be allowed to fly home, following a technical inspection by its makers.

But China predicts worsening public outrage if the spy plane is returned, after the death of the Chinese fighter pilot and the release of the spy plane's 24 crew members from detention.

Sun said Beijing would also "continue to protest" against the U.S. resumption of surveillance flights near China early this week.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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