Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=02/15/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CHINA / NMD L ONLY

NUMBER=2-272615

BYLINE=JIM RANDLE

DATELINE=BEIJING

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: China's government says it is willing to talk to Washington about missile defenses, but won't change its strong objections to the proposed American plans to build a shield against warheads. VOA's Jim Randle has the story in Beijing.

TEXT: The U-S offer to talk about missile defenses was apparently carried to China by visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien this week. Prime Minister Chretien held earlier talks in Washington with President Bush.

The proposed talks would involve the United States and Russia as well as China. Both Moscow and Beijing strongly oppose the US missile defense idea; China calling it a threat to peace that is likely to ignite another dangerous nuclear arms race.

China's first reaction to the idea of talks came from Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao, who spoke through a translator.

/// ZHU ACT ///

We have heard talk that the US side is willing to hold talks with other countries on this issue. And we have taken note of the positions expressed by the US side.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Zhu says any talks must be aimed at preserving the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty that China calls a cornerstone of the arms control efforts.

The United States and the Soviet Union signed the ABM treaty, which places sharp limits on defenses against ballistic missiles. The new Bush administration has said the treaty appears out of date and might be scrapped, allowing Washington to go ahead with a complex system of sensors and rockets designed to track and destroy enemy warheads headed for the United States.

Washington says the National Missile Defense system is designed to stop 15 or 20 warheads launched from North Korea or other small nations, not the thousands of nuclear weapons that Russia could fire on America.

But military experts say China has only 18 or 20 long range missiles, so the proposed missile defenses might make Beijing's costly nuclear weapons irrelevant. Military experts says Chinese leaders apparently fear that if they lose the ability to inflict terrible damage on the United States, Washington might try to intimidate or blackmail Beijing. (signed)

NEB/HK/JR/JO/PLM