More signs are emerging that US President George W. Bush's directive to the Pentagon to drop its refusal to engage with China and forge a new military relationship are starting to have an effect.
A high-level meeting to thrash out plans for moving defence relations forward was held recently and involved the key opponent of engagement, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
He is understood to have met proponents of restoring links, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mr Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice. Also present were members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA director George Tenet.
Details of the meetings' results are being kept under wraps but sources said Mr Rumsfeld was under pressure to re-engage with China. 'There is no doubt Bush has told the Pentagon to get into line,' said an official.
'The administration cannot afford to continue to ignore China militarily.' Washington is also putting out the message internationally that it is ready to conduct military exchanges and other transparency-enhancing activities with the PLA.
A report carried yesterday by the Japanese news agency Kyodo said Mr Bush had ordered the Pentagon to resume the defence relationship which was broken off after the collision of a US spy plane and a Chinese jet fighter near Hainan Island which led to the loss of a PLA pilot on April 1 last year. Washington was angered over the PLA's 11-day detention of the EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft's crew.
