The U.S. has said its missile defense shield poses no threat to China during his tour of Asia to sell the concept. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage stressed that the opposite was true, with consultations planned with the Chinese over the plan. We have no desire to keep China down. Right now they are a great country, not a great power. But they are a great country with great problems.
China says it is ready to hold talks on a plan by the U.S. to develop a new missile defense system.
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. In Korea's JoongAng Ilbo daily newspaper he is quoted as saying if the technology is successful it could be offered to allies to ensure stability. We think if we are successful and have sufficient technology to stop a limited number of missiles, then we can offer countries who might be faced by rogue states who purchase or manufacture missiles an alternative to making their own missiles. Armitage is on an Asian tour to explain the Bush administration's strategic game plan, featuring unilateral nuclear missile cuts and a missile interceptor system that is still on the drawing board and could cost tens of billions of dollars. Armitage said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's offer to maintain a moratorium on missile testing until 2003 was a positive message to Washington.