11 July 2002
Transcript: Powell Says U.S. Will Monitor China's Arms Buildup
(Says China should use its new wealth to benefit Chinese people)
(1244)
The United States will carefully watch how China goes about
modernizing its armed forces, according to Secretary of State Colin
Powell.
In remarks made July 11 after his meeting with Australian Minister of
Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer at the State Department, Powell told
reporters that the United States believed it was important that China
use the wealth that was coming its way from greater participation in
the international economic community to benefit its own people.
The United States, he added, knows that some of that wealth will also
be used to modernize Chinese military forces.
"That is not, in and of itself, frightening, as long as it is clear it
is a modernization that doesn't reflect any kind of new strategic
purpose or represent any sort of threat to the region," Powell said.
The United States will monitor China's modernization carefully, he
said, adding that the two countries have "good bilateral relations."
The United States, Powell continued, is "anxious to have more
military-to-military exchanges with the Chinese."
Following is the transcript of July 11 remarks by Secretary of State
Colin Powell and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander
Downer:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
July 11, 2002
Remarks By Secretary Of State Colin L. Powell
And Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer
After Their Meeting
July 11, 2002
C Street Entrance
Washington, D.C.
(9:40 p.m. EDT)
SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It's been my
great pleasure to host my colleague and friend, Minister Alexander
Downer. We've had a good discussion. It's always easy to have a good
discussion with our Australian friends. Our bilateral relationship is
very, very sound, as it has been for quite a few years -- quite a few
decades, for that matter.
But we did discuss some regional issues, the situation in East Asia,
the upcoming meetings -- APEC and the ASEAN regional forum where we
will be together again at the end of this month -- and we also had a
chance to have a discussion on the situation in the Middle East and in
South Asia.
The Minister and his colleagues have been in the United States for the
past several days, and they've had, I believe I can say, excellent
bilateral discussions not only here at the State Department but over
at the White House with the Vice President and Dr. Rice and others.
And, Alexander, it's just a great pleasure to have you here again in
the United States. Welcome, sir.
FOREIGN MINISTER DOWNER: Thanks, Colin. Well, I'd just like to say
what a pleasure it is to have the opportunity to meet with Secretary
Powell again. He has explained the broad agenda that we've discussed.
We've been -- let me be frank. We've been delighted with the way the
proposal for a free trade agreement between Australia and the United
States has been developing, and we very much hope that those people up
on Capitol Hill will see the wisdom of agreeing to Trade Promotion
Authority and that we can get into a negotiation on a free trade
agreement with the United States. It will be another very exciting new
dimension to what of course is a long and historic and very close
bilateral relationship.
We, of course, work together and we provide strong and enthusiastic
support to the United States in the war on terrorism, and we've had a
good opportunity to talk about some of those issues and we look
forward to taking some of those agenda items forward over the next few
months.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you. We only have time for perhaps one or two
questions. I have to be up on Capitol Hill.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, have you sent a diplomatic note to Iraq
regarding the case of the pilot Scott Speicher agreeing to talks?
SECRETARY POWELL: We are in touch through various means with the Iraqi
Government about the case of Commander Speicher. I would ask my staff,
though, to give you the precise status of those discussions. We are
anxious to follow every possible lead with respect to the fate of
Commander Speicher, and we are following every possible lead, but let
me have my staff get the precise answer for you as to the state of
play as of today.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, did you see the preliminary report on China's
military power? And to both of you, are you concerned of China's
military modernization?
SECRETARY POWELL: I haven't seen the specific report you mention, but
we are well aware that China is modernizing its forces. And we think
it's important that as China comes out into the international
community, especially the international economic community more and
more, and enjoys the benefit of trade and generates wealth as a result
of that trade, that the bulk of that wealth will go to benefit the
Chinese people and raise their level of living and the expectations
they have for the future for their children and their families. And we
also know that some of it will be used to modernize Chinese military
forces. That is not in and of itself frightening, as long as it is
clear it is a modernization that doesn't reflect any kind of new
strategic purpose or represent any sort of threat to the region.
And so we'll monitor it carefully. We're anxious to have more
military-to-military exchanges with the Chinese, and Secretary
Rumsfeld is working on that. But we'll monitor it carefully, and we
have good bilateral relations with the Chinese and we discuss these
issues with them.
FOREIGN MINISTER DOWNER: We don't have any -- well, I don't have
anything much to add to that. I mean, we don't have any great concerns
about modernization of the Chinese armed forces. It's inevitable that
a country with an economy that's growing at 7 or so percent a year is
going to use a certain amount of that revenue to make sure their armed
forces are modern and efficient and effective. We certainly haven't
seen any change in China's strategic posture that would cause us any
concern.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary --
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you. I'm afraid I do have to get up on Capitol
Hill.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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