Gates says China's People's Liberation Army May be Trying to Thwart Ties

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday he believed the Chinese military was thwarting efforts to improve military-to-military relations in an apparent split with the country's political leadership.China scaled back military ties with the United States after the Obama administration notified Congress in January of a plan to sell Taiwan up to $6.4 billion worth of arms.In what some American officials took as a snub, China turned down a proposed visit by Gates aimed at mending fences during his trip to Asia this week.U.S. officials have long described China as a "hard target" for intelligence-gathering. Gates, a former CIA director, acknowledged that the Pentagon was having difficulty reading the intentions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

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Posted in: China,USA