China urges talks on U.S. missile defense

China has expressed concern over the United States' decision to pull out from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

BEIJING, China -- China has called for talks on the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as it expressed concern over its implications.

"We've taken note of the relevant reports and express our concern," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told a news conference on Thursday.

"China is not in favor of missile defense systems. China worries about the negative impact," she said. She called for a "strategic dialogue" on the issue.

U.S. President George W. Bush told lawmakers of his decision to pull out of the treaty because he believes it is no longer effective given the current political climate.

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"We must move beyond the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a treaty that was written in a different era, for a different enemy."

"America and our allies must not be bound to the past. We must be able to build the defenses we need against the enemies of the 21st century," Bush said.

But analysts believe that scrapping the treaty could create an arms race among nuclear rival countries, which could knock global security out of balance.

Missile defense

Experts say China is worried that a missile defense system will undermine its modest nuclear arsenal

Analysts believe that China would not cooperate with the United States in its decision because of many factors.

A U.S. withdrawal from ABM would allow Bush to press ahead with plans for a multi-billion dollar defense system to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.

China staunchly opposes such a system, which could also provide an umbrella for U.S. troops in South Korea and Japan -- which Beijing fears could be extended to cover Taiwan.

They also believe that missile defense systems will undermine China's modest nuclear arsenal.

"China will deeply doubt Washington's strategic intentions," Wu Guoguang, an associate professor of politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Reuters news agency.

"I think they will be reluctant, more reluctant than before, to cooperate with the United States on issues like anti-terrorism and nuclear nonproliferation," he added.

The formal decision to withdraw from the treaty could come as soon as Thursday, a U.S. official said.

Relations between Beijing and Washington have been on the mend since a mid-air collision between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet off southern China on April 1 soured relations.

Beijing has backed the U.S.-led war on terrorism, in large part because of its own concerns about Muslim separatists in its far western region of Xinjiang.

Economic concerns

China is said to be furiously modernizing its military capability

But other analysts say that intense as Beijing's aversion to a U.S. withdrawal may be, economic concerns may soften China's stance.

China predicts economic growth this year of more than seven percent while other countries slip into recession. Its leaders say economic development is their prime objective.

"It may not be such a big deal because China wants to keep good relations with the U.S., particularly in terms of economic connections," Wu added.

The United States is the biggest export market for China. It promised to open up much more widely particularly after it became a member of the World Trade Organization.

Analysts also noted that China does not have the financial means to engage in a Cold War-style arms race with the United States.

"China can to nothing except focus on its own business and modernize its military capabilities, that's all. It can do nothing," Yan Xuetong, director of Tsinghua's Institute of International Affairs told Reuters.