China May Suspend Some Military Exchanges With US

Beijing unhappy with Taiwan arms deal
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2011 1:19 PM CDT
China May Suspend Some Military Exchanges With US
Journalists take photos on an F-16 fighter jet during a military demonstration at the Chiayi air force base, southern Taiwan, in 2007.   (Getty Images)

China is making its displeasure known over the US’ recent arms deal with Taiwan, with officials indicating that they’ll be cancelling some agreed upon military exchanges with the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. While China hasn’t fully outlined what it will do, “I think they have indicated that they’re going to suspend or cancel or postpone a series of … military-to-military engagements,” a State Department official said in a transcript on the Department’s site.

China responded to requests for comment by saying that “the wrong actions by the US in the Taiwan Strait will inevitably harm US-China relations,” including military exchanges. But analysts expect it to stop short of fully severing military ties with the US. The blow to relations comes even as tensions are rising between the US and nominal ally Pakistan. Why do we bring this up? Because Pakistan made a point of praising China today as its “all-weather friend,” according to Reuters. (More China stories.)

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