Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Member of
the State Council and Minister of Defense of the People's
Republic of China, General Chi Haotian, will begin a two-week
visit to the United States on Dec. 5. He will be accompanied by a
twenty-member delegation, including senior representatives of the
Chinese Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs. Minister Chi
(pronounced CHIRR) is visiting at the invitation of his
counterpart, Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, who visited
the PRC in October 1994.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is currently
developing the itinerary for Minister Chi's visit, which will
include meetings with Secretary Perry and other senior government
leaders. The Minister will also have an opportunity to travel to
several U.S. military bases, concluding his trip with talks at
the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii from December 16-18.
The objectives of this visit are to exchange views on global
and Asia-Pacific regional security issues of mutual concern, and
to discuss future prospects for bilateral military relations.
Additionally, the visit will provide an opportunity to increase
senior Chinese military leaders' understanding of U.S. national
security policies, armed forces, and more broadly, American
society.
