Top Chinese general has "deep respect for Serbia"

Chinese Army Chief of Staff Gen. Chen Bingde praised his country's military cooperation with Serbia. Chen, who is on a four-day visit here, told the daily Politika in an interview published on Sunday that the these ties could still improve, and spoke about his deep respect for Serbia – the country which he chose as the destination of his first official visit abroad. Top Chinese general has "deep respect for Serbia" "I know a lot about Serbia, I deeply respect your history and tradition, I have followed all the goings-on in these regions in the near past. I think, and I am convinced, that there are great possibilities for an excellent inter-army cooperation. It is good now, but it can be much better," the general said. Chen also expressed his satisfaction with the talks he held with the country's top officials, including President Boris Tadic, and his Serbian Army counterpart, Lt. Gen. Zdravko Ponos. The meeting with Ponos, he emphasized, "lasted much longer than initially planned by the protocol, and not by chance". Chen also spoke about the modernization of the Chinese military, adding that his country is undertaking a "military strategic orientation of active defense". "We do not wish to take part in any arms race and we are not sending out threatening messages to any country in the world," the general explained. Asked if China, with the March 2005 adoption of an anti-secessionist bill which served to formalize the use of force in case the Chinese Taiwan declared independence, thus lowered the threshold of the first use of nuclear weapons, Chen said that China insists on a nuclear strategy aimed at self-defense, with this strategy present "both in state and military nuclear policy". "The basic goal of this strategy is to deter the use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons by other states against China". Chen also revealed that the Chinese military at the moment enlists some 2.3 million soldiers, and that no reduction in the troop numbers has been planned for this year. Generals Chen, Ponos salute the VS Guards in Belgrade on Friday (Tanjug)

Top Chinese general has "deep respect for Serbia"

"I know a lot about Serbia, I deeply respect your history and tradition, I have followed all the goings-on in these regions in the near past. I think, and I am convinced, that there are great possibilities for an excellent inter-army cooperation. It is good now, but it can be much better," the general said.

Chen also expressed his satisfaction with the talks he held with the country's top officials, including President Boris Tadić, and his Serbian Army counterpart, Lt. Gen. Zdravko Ponoš. The meeting with Ponoš, he emphasized, "lasted much longer than initially planned by the protocol, and not by chance".

Chen also spoke about the modernization of the Chinese military, adding that his country is undertaking a "military strategic orientation of active defense".

"We do not wish to take part in any arms race and we are not sending out threatening messages to any country in the world," the general explained.

Asked if China, with the March 2005 adoption of an anti-secessionist bill which served to formalize the use of force in case the Chinese Taiwan declared independence, thus lowered the threshold of the first use of nuclear weapons, Chen said that China insists on a nuclear strategy aimed at self-defense, with this strategy present "both in state and military nuclear policy".

"The basic goal of this strategy is to deter the use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons by other states against China".

Chen also revealed that the Chinese military at the moment enlists some 2.3 million soldiers, and that no reduction in the troop numbers has been planned for this year.