China reacts mildly to ABM pullout

Jiang has not openly criticized Bush's decision to abandon the ABM treaty

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
Senior China Analyst

(CNN) -- President Jiang Zemin has told President George W. Bush of China's concern regarding Washington's withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

However, the reaction from Jiang and other senior officials has been mild.

And the only condemnation of American "unilateralism" has come from commentaries in the official media.

While traveling in Myammar, Jiang held telephone conversions with Bush and Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin.

The official media on Friday quoted Jiang as relaying to the two presidents Beijing's stance on the ABM treaty, and in particular, the importance it placed on "upholding the international system of arms control and disarmament."

"China will continue to make its efforts in upholding peace and stability in the world," Jiang said.

The Chinese president, however, stopped short of criticizing the U.S. decision to abandon the ABM treaty.

In a briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue had expressed "regrets and worries" about Washington's move.

She also called on the U.S. to adopt a "cautious" attitude on the matter and to consult international opinion.

Mild reaction

Diplomatic analysts in Beijing said the reaction from Chinese officials had been remarkably mild compared with the strong stance the leadership had earlier taken on the ABM issue and on Bush's deployment of a national missile defense system.

Jiang is unsure about the deals the U.S. has struck with Russia

The analysts said Jiang did not raise a strong protest partly because he was not sure about the deals that the U.S. might have struck with the Putin administration on the issue.

The official Chinese media as a whole did not play up the news about ABM on Friday.

However, a number of articles attacked the U.S. decision bitterly.

A commentary carried by the influential Xinhua news agency Web site said Washington's withdrawal from the AMB treaty was "a victory for the hawkish faction."

Saying the Bush administration was again pursuing "unilateralist" policies, it hinted Washington was taking advantage of its success in the war against terrorism to further boost its global dominance.