Beijing: The top commander of the US Pacific Fleet raised concern today over China's military build-up and urged Beijing to clarify the intentions behind its increasingly sophisticated armed forces.

Admiral Timothy Keating said he urged Beijing to increase transparency in military affairs during talks with government and defence officials here which focused largely on the issue of Taiwan.

"China's military is developing very impressively," Keating told journalists. "We are concerned about the development of long-range cruise and ballistic missiles, we are concerned about their anti-satellite technology (and) we are concerned about area denial weapons."

In talks yesterday, Beijing agreed to bring military exchanges with the US to a higher level, a form of cooperation that could help allay growing concerns over the intentions behind China s military build-up, he said.

"We want to be very straightforward with our Chinese colleagues... Increased transparency can lead to greater trust and reduces the potential for misunderstanding," Keating said.

"One of the reasons we are here is just to get to this question of intent ... As misunderstanding can lead to conflict or crisis."

Keating met yesterday with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and General Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the powerful central military commission.

In his talks, Keating was accompanied by Assistant US Secretary of Defence James Shinn and other US officials.
Source : PTI