China upbeat on U.S. relations

Some hardliners warn it is naive for Chinese leaders to pursue a policy of dialogue and cooperation with the U.S.

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
CNN Senior China Analyst

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- While Chinese diplomats have given upbeat assessments of relations with the United States, army hardliners have stepped up attacks against American "unilateralism."

In his on-going visit to the United States, Vice-Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing has stressed the positive elements in bilateral relations.

Li, who is a frontrunner to become foreign minister next year, said the Chinese side was ready to "come up with a positive atmosphere" for President George W. Bush's visit to Beijing later this month.

He said Beijing was ready to form a "long-term cooperation mechanism" with the U.S. on fighting terrorism.

The senior diplomat also stressed the "mutual benefits and cooperation potentials" for economic and trade ties.

Although Li cited the Taiwan issue as a problem, he refrained from specific criticism of Washington's Asian policies including arms sales to Taiwan and engaging in an "anti-China containment policy" together with Taiwan and Japan.

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Diplomatic sources in Beijing and Washington said Li had in principle finalized with his hosts that Bush would extend an invitation to President Jiang Zemin to visit the U.S.

They also said that Jiang would go before the 16th Communist Party Congress scheduled for the autumn.

However, hard-line elements in China including the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have expressed more negative views about the U.S. and Bush's visit.

The Liberation Army Daily has this week run a series of articles attacking Bush's decision to boost the American defense budget by 14.5 percent.

The Liberation Army Daily on Thursday ran a commentary by theorist Lu Baosheng saying the U.S. would press on with its "unilateralist scheme" of creating a world order dominated only by America.

A number of postings on PLA-run Web sites have questioned the motive of Bush's visit to China, saying Washington is still bent on pursuing the policy of "peaceful evolution," a reference to attempts to turn China into a capitalist country.

A writer to the Liberation Army Daily Web site, Mao Xiaobing, said given Washington's hostile policy toward China, it would be naive for Chinese leaders to pursue a policy of dialogue and cooperation with the U.S.