DATE=12/16/96
TYPE=CLOSEUP
NUMBER=4-09513
TITLE=CHINA'S ARMS SALES TO THE MIDDLE EAST
BYLINE=ERICA BENIS
TELEPHONE=619-0934
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=PHIL HAYNES
CONTENT=
CONTENT= // TAPE INSERTS IN AUDIO SERVICES //
ANNCR: CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTER, GENERAL CHI HAOTIAN, IS ON A
TWO-WEEK VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. HE IS LEADING THE
HIGHEST-RANKING CHINESE MILITARY DELEGATION EVER TO COME
TO THE U-S, WITH THE PURPOSE OF CONSOLIDATING IMPROVED
RELATIONS BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND BEIJING. GENERAL CHI
ASSERTS THAT HIS COUNTRY SEEKS ONLY PEACE AND STABILITY.
BUT MANY ANALYSTS BELIEVE THAT CHINA'S ARMS SALES TO
CERTAIN COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST COULD HAVE A
DESTABILIZING EFFECT ON A REGION THAT PRODUCES 20
PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S OIL. FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT
CHINA'S MIDEAST ARMS POLICY, HERE IS ___________ WITH A
REPORT PREPARED BY VOA'S ERICA BENIS.
TEXT: FROM THE MOMENT OF HIS ARRIVAL IN THE UNITED STATES,
CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTER, GENERAL CHI HAOTIAN, HAS BEEN
ACCORDED TOP MILITARY HONORS, BEGINNING WITH A 19-GUN
SALUTE AT THE PENTAGON. AFTER HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS IN
WASHINGTON, GENERAL CHI AND HIS ENTOURAGE ARE NOW
VISITING VARIOUS U-S MILITARY BASES AND INSTALLATIONS.
BATES GILL IS DIRECTOR OF EAST ASIA NON-PROLIFERATION
PROJECT AT THE MONTEREY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES. HE SAYS THE NEW U-S -CHINA RAPPROCHMENT IS NOT
WITHOUT TENSIONS, PARTLY DUE TO CHINA'S ARMS SALES.
TAPE: CUT ONE GILL
"ON THE ONE HAND THERE IS A VERY, VERY GREAT NEED FOR US
TO IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIP ACROSS THE BOARD WITH A
GREAT POWER SUCH AS CHINA, AND IN PARTICULAR ON MILITARY
ISSUES. SO I THINK, GENERALLY, THIS IS A GOOD STEP. WE
HAVE CHI HAOTIAN'S VISIT AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN BUILD UPON
THIS. IN THE BUILDING AND EXPENDING OF THE
RELATIONSHIP, THERE'RE GOING TO BE PROBLEMS. AND ONE OF
THE PROBLEMS, ON THE MILITARY SIDE, IS OUR CONCERN ABOUT
PROLIFERATION OF WEAPONS FROM CHINA TO COUNTRIES OF
CONCERN TO THE UNITED STATES."
TEXT: PROFESSOR GILL SAYS CHINA ACKNOWLEDGES, IN SOME CASES,
SALES OF WEAPONS AND TECHNOLOGY TO IRAN WHICH HAVE BEEN
CONFIRMED BY BOTH PUBLIC AND INTELLIGENCE SOURCES.
TAPE: CUT TWO GILL
"WHAT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED ABOUT A YEAR AGO IS THAT THE
CHINESE HAVE PROVIDED IRAN WITH SHIP-BORNE LONGER RANGE
CRUISE-TYPE MISSILES, WHICH ARE AT THE TOP OF THE LINE
IN TERMS OF CHINESE PRODUCTION CAPABILITY. THESE ARE
KNOWN AS THE C-802. THESE MISSILES HAVE A RANGE OF
BETWEEN 60 AND 90 KILOMETERS. THEY ARE SEA-SKIMMING
MISSILES MAKING THEM MORE DIFFICULT, IN THEIR TERMINAL
PHASE, FOR COUNTERMEASURES. IT'S A QUALITATIVE BOOST IN
THE OFFENSIVE CAPACITY OF THE IRANIAN MILITARY TO
THREATEN SHIPPING, INCLUDING AMERICAN MILITARY SHIPPING,
IN THE PERSIAN GULF."
TEXT: MICHAEL EISENSTADT IS A SPECIALIST IN MILITARY AFFAIRS
AT THE WASHINGTON NEAR EAST POLICY INSTITUTE. HE SAYS
THAT OVER THE YEARS THE CHINESE HAVE SOLD COMBAT
AIRCRAFT AND SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES TO THE IRANIANS.
BUT HE BELIEVES THE AREA OF GREATEST CONCERN FOR THE
UNITED STATES -- WITH REGARD TO CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS --
IS CHINA'S MORE RECENT SALES OF OFFENSIVE NAVAL
TECHNOLOGY TO IRAN.
TAPE: CUT THREE EISENSTADT
"AND HERE THE CHINESE HAVE PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE
IN HELPING THE IRANIANS REBUILD THEIR NAVY AND, IN FACT,
IN SOME WAYS EXPEND THEIR CAPABILITIES. THEY PROVIDED
MISSILE PATROL BOATS TO THE IRANIANS. THEY PROVIDED
RELATIVELY MODERN ANTI-SHIP MISSILES TO PUT ON THESE
BOATS. AND THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THEY ARE INVOLVED IN
A DEAL TO PROVIDE THEM WITH VERY ADVANCED, VERY
SOPHISTICATED MINES."
TEXT: ANALYSTS SEE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO CHINA'S ARMS SALES
TO IRAN AND ITS NEED FOR PERSIAN GULF OIL. RECENT
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY STUDIES INDICATE THAT CHINA USES
ABOUT 600-THOUSAND BARRELS OF OIL PER DAY. IF THE
CHINESE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO GROW AT THE PRESENT RATE,
THAT IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO ONE-MILLION BARRELS PER
DAY BY THE YEAR 2000, AND TO THREE-MILLION BARRELS BY
2010.
MICHAEL EISENSTADT SAYS U-S DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM
PERRY HAS TOLD GENERAL CHI THAT EVEN LEGAL ARMS SALES TO
IRAN CAN DESTABILIZE THE REGION AND CAN THREATEN BOTH
U-S AND CHINESE INTERESTS.
TAPE: CUT FOUR EISENSTADT
"IF THE CHINESE WANT TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE MEMBERS OF
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, THERE'S NO REASON FOR THEM
TO TRANSFER MINES. IF THEY WANT TO SELL TANKS OR A
COMBAT AIRCRAFT, THAT'S ONE THING. WE WON'T BE HAPPY
ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WHICH IS PERHAPS NOT
DESTABILIZING IN THE WAY MINES OR ANTI-SHIP MISSILES
ARE."
TEXT: THEN THERE'S THE QUESTION OF CHINESE ASSISTANCE TO IRAN
FOR ITS CIVILIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM. THE PROBLEM, SAYS MR.
EISENSTADT, IS THAT MUCH OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY IS
DUAL-USE, MEANING IT CAN BE USED IN BOTH CIVILIAN AND
MILITARY PROGRAMS. THE DELIVERY OF TWO CHINESE NUCLEAR
REACTORS PURCHASED BY IRAN HAS BEEN DELAYED BECAUSE OF
TEHERAN'S INABILITY TO PAY FOR THEM. BUT ACCORDING TO
MICHAEL EISENSTADT, NOW THERE IS INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
OVER REPORTS THAT CHINA HAS DECIDED TO BUILD A URANIUM
HEXAFLORIDE CONVERSION PLANT FOR THE IRANIANS.
TAPE: CUT FIVE EISENSTADT
"THIS KIND OF PLANT TAKES URANIUM AND CONVERTS IT INTO
GASUOUS FORM, WHICH IS THE FORM YOU NEED IT IN IF YOU
WANT TO ENRICH IT TO PRODUCE EITHER FUEL FOR A NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT, OR THE MATERIAL FOR A NUCLEAR WEAPON. THIS
IS REALLY VERY HARD TO JUSTIFY. AND THIS IS CLEARLY
SOMETHING WE SHOULD DIG IN OUR HEELS VERY HARD ON AND DO
EVERYTHING WE CAN TO OBSTRUCT. BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY
DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENT IF THIS DEAL WOULD TO GO THROUGH."
TEXT: BUT CONCERN ABOUT CHINESE ARMS PROLIFERATION IN THE
MIDDLE EAST DOES NOT END WITH SALES TO IRAN. THE U-S
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY IS SAID TO HAVE CONCLUDED THAT
CHINA, LAST YEAR, SOLD PAKISTAN SPECIALIZED MAGNETS FOR
USE IN CENTRIFUGES THAT ENRICH URANIUM, A KEY NUCLEAR
WEAPONS INGREDIENT. IT IS ALSO BELIEVED THAT CHINA --
ALONG WITH GERMANY AND RUSSIA -- SUPPLIED IRAQ WITH
TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP THE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS THAT THREATENED THE ALLIES DURING THE GULF WAR.
NOW THERE ARE ALSO CONCERNS, SAYS MICHAEL EISENSTADT,
ABOUT SIMILAR CHINESE SALES TO SYRIA.
TAPE: CUT SIX EISENSTADT
"THERE HAVE BEEN, I THINK, CREDIBLE REPORTS OVER THE
YEARS THAT THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN PROVIDING MISSILE
TECHNOLOGY TO THE SYRIANS TO HELP THEM CREATE A DOMESTIC
PRODUCTION CAPABILITY OF SOLID FUEL MISSILES. AND THERE
HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF CHINESE ASSISTANCE TO THE SYRIAN
CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM, IF NOT ALSO PERHAPS THE
BIOLOGICAL PROGRAM. WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEIR
BIOLOGICAL PROGRAM. BUT CLEARLY, IN THE CHEMICAL ARENA,
IT'S POSSIBE THEY'VE PROVIDED TECHNOLOGY AND CHEMICALS
WHICH ARE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE CHEMICAL WEAPONS."
TEXT: NON-PROLIFERATION EXPERT BATES GILL SAYS THAT RISING
ARMS SALES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND VIOLATIONS OF
INTERNATIONAL ARMS ACCORDS -- IF TOTALLY SUBSTANTIATED
-- POSE A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO U-S INTERESTS.
TAPE: CUT SEVEN GILL
"IF -- AND I MAKE THIS A VERY BIG IF -- IF IT IS TRUE
THAT CHINA IS IN SOMEWAYS ASSISTING COUNTRIES SUCH AS
IRAN OR SYRIA TO DEVELOP WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, OH
YES, THIS IS A VERY, VERY SERIOUS DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY THIS SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERS THE BALANCE OF POWER
PARTICULARLY AROUND THE PERSIAN GULF, AND THE ABILITY OF
THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER WESTERN POWERS TO MAINTAIN
THEIR INTEREST IN THE REGION, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD
TO THE SAFE PROVISION OF OIL."
TEXT: LAST WEEK IN WASHINGTON, CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTER,
GENERAL CHI HAOTIAN, TOLD REPORTERS THAT THE
PROLIFERATION ISSUE HAD BEEN -- IN HIS WORDS -- "BLOWN
OUT OF PROPORTION" BY THE NEWS MEDIA.
NEB/EB/PCH
16-Dec-96 1:44 PM EST (1844 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.