Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld issued the order Monday to the military in a closely held memo, the spokesman said. The U.S. and Chinese military were not scheduled to have any military exchanges or contacts during May, and Rumsfeld has been reviewing the relationship. Under the Clinton administration, the U.S. abetted China's military buildup in lopsided exchanges that revealed American defense intelligence to Beijing but received little in return. The relationship between the two countries has been especially contentious since a Chinese F-8 fighter slammed into a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane April 1 in international airspace over the South China Sea.
China continues to hold the aircraft.
President Bush last week committed the United States to defending Taiwan against Chinese aggression, the first time a president has made such an explicit statement. Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved. Your e-mail address will be used for News Alerts only. No spamming or sharing e-mail address with others.