White House Daily Briefing

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

May 3, 2001

PRESS BRIEFING BY ARI FLEISCHER

The James S. Brady Briefing Room

12:36 P.M. EDT

Q: Ari, what was the President's involvement in determining
administration policy on military contacts with China, whatever that
policy may be?

MR. FLEISCHER: As far as the military contacts with China is
concerned, the National Security team and the President discussed that
matter, and the decision was, as announced by Secretary Rumsfeld, that
military-to-military contacts with China will be reviewed on a case by
case basis. And that was the decision that was made. That was what was
discussed with the President.

Q: Isn't this a pretty big issue to be sending conflicting signals on?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think yesterday, the Defense Department fully
addressed the issue, after a memo went out suggesting one item that
was not under the Secretary's understanding. That was not consistent
with the guidance that the Secretary gave. DOD very quickly last night
explained what the Secretary's position was.

Q: Have you figured out how they got it wrong?

MR. FLEISCHER: That's a question you need to address to DOD.

Q: Ari, does the President - what does he feel in general about the
value of these military-to-military contacts? Does he feel under
different circumstances these are helpful, or --

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, generally around the world, military-to military
contacts are an effective way of building bridges, of maintaining
dialogue. And that's why military-to-military contacts have been a
part of American diplomacy, American military operations for a very
long period of time.

Q: With China, with respect to China, how does the President feel
generally about that?

MR. FLEISCHER: He believes that the military-to-military contacts with
China should be reviewed and decided on a case by case basis.

Q: Was he angered by the Chinese reluctance to be very cooperative
with the Americans without checking out the plane?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think the President remains hopeful that all
items will be addressed, so that our assessment team will be able to
complete their work on Hainan Island, so that the plane can be
returned home. There continues to be discussions with the Chinese
about the assessment team, and until that's resolved, I'm not going to
go any further than that.

Q: He's not disappointed at what's happened so far?

MR. FLEISCHER: It's ongoing.

Q: Was there some concern that the memo might send the wrong signal,
and that it could interfere with negotiations over the return of the
plane?

MR. FLEISCHER: There was only one intention, and that was to make
clear that the military-to-military contacts will be reviewed on a
case-by-case basis. And that was the only signal the President
believes should have been sent and that's the signal that's been sent.

Q: When did the President decide that position? Before or after the
memo came out?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, before.

Q: When?

Q: I couldn't tell you the exact date, Ron, but well before.

Q: And how did he pass that message on?

MR. FLEISCHER: As I just said, it was part of the discussions the
President had with his national security team.

Q: What was his response to the memo, Ari?

MR. FLEISCHER: When it came out yesterday? He said, it's wrong. I
mean, he understood what the policy was and it was addressed by
Secretary Rumsfeld.

Q: Was there urgent concern on his part to clarify the statement and
get it right?

MR. FLEISCHER: He understood that a statement came out that was not in
keeping with the guidance of the Secretary. His only concern was that
the record be set straight, and it was.

Q: When was the last time he talked to Rumsfeld about this policy?

MR. FLEISCHER: I couldn't tell you directly when the last time he and
the Secretary spoke directly about that policy.

Q: Well, there have been a couple of situations where the
administration has had to correct a Cabinet official. Why is this
happening?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, not to be too flip about it, but this morning, I
happened to flip through some newspapers and I noticed there was a
major newspaper in Washington that had six corrections and one
clarification in it today. There was another major newspaper in New
York that had nine corrections in it.

I think what's important is that, when something is done that is not
in keeping with the guidance of the Secretary, that it's immediately
set straight so the public has a clear understanding of what the
administration's policy is.

And if it happens from time to time, what's important is that it's
immediately corrected.

Q: Ari, can you shed any light --

Q: Do you think you have a particular issue that you all need to deal
with here is to prevent these kinds of miscommunications or --

MR. FLEISCHER: It's always important to minimize miscommunications and
minimize errors. And that's always an effort of this administration.

Q: And, Ari, you're quite confident that this was a misinterpretation
and not the Secretary of Defense wandering off the reservation?

MR. FLEISCHER: The Secretary of Defense couldn't have made it any
plainer yesterday when he said it was a misinterpretation of his
guidance.

Q: How would you characterize - is the --

Q: Senator Warner also had the same misunderstanding that was a result
of a conversation between --

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I'm not sure that we've all seen the full text of
what Senator Warner said, and I think you may want to talk to DOD or
Senator Warner more directly about that.

Q: Does the President - I mean, there were a number of complaints
from Defense Department officials about the nature of military
contacts, that we have been far more open than they have, and that our
people are sometimes left cooling their heels in a reception area and
not given the same access that we give to Chinese military officials,
for instance. Does the President share what seems to be a skeptical
view of the value of these contacts with the Chinese?

MR. FLEISCHER: I have expressed the President's position on the
military-to-military contact program, and I have nothing further to
report on it.

Q: Ari, yesterday the State Department said that Richard Armitage is
going to give China a miss on his NMD - tour, that --

MR. FLEISCHER: He's going to give him a what?

Q: He's going to skip China on his tour. You had the decision on the
berets, you had this downgrading of military contacts. I'm wondering
whether the President has sent the message that there won't be a
continuation of business as usual with China so long as the plane
remains on Hainan Island.

MR. FLEISCHER: No, the President has made it abundantly clear that
there are going to be a number of areas on which we can cooperate with
China. And we will continue as a government to do so. That involves
trade, for example. There will be other areas, such as religious
freedom, where there are problems with China, and the President's not
going to hesitate to speak out.

But there is going to be an official from the State Department who
will travel to China to meet with Chinese to talk about missile
defense, so the contacts will remain and the information will be
conveyed as far as missile defense is concerned.

Q: Has the plane become a sort of dam in the waters of this
relationship at this point?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President has a broad view of relations with China.
And he's expressed it himself on many occasions where he has said we
will cooperate in areas where we can cooperate and areas where we
disagree. Will have a frank airing of those disagreements in an effort
to ameliorate the situation.

....

Q: Ari, it was the policy of the last administration to engage China,
to try to facilitate some sort of forum from within. Is it the policy
-- is it the belief of this administration that that policy didn't
work, and that the United States needs to take a much firmer stance
towards China than it did in the past?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President said throughout the campaign that his
approach to China would be based on a belief that China is a strategic
competitor. That is the basis for the actions that the President will
take in regard to his relations with China.

Q: There's been a month of pretty good tweaking of the Chinese. And
I'm wondering at what point do you cut off your nose to spite your
face, to quote the Secretary of State?

MR. FLEISCHER: This is the President's policies. He announced them
during the course of the campaign, because he believed these would be
the best policies to secure the peace in the region, to promote trade
with China. But also there are serious issues that involve religious
freedom, for example - that is the responsibility, in the President's
opinion, of the United States to speak out. So he will.

....

Q: Ari, former President Clinton next week is expected to give a
speech in Hong Kong. Given relations right now with the PRC, is it
appropriate for him to travel there? And also, it's up in the air
whether or not he's going to meet with Chinese officials. Would that
be appropriate, given --

MR. FLEISCHER: That's the first I've heard of this, so I'm not going
to venture into something that I'm not familiar with, the former
President's travels.

Q: Let me follow on that. Can we assume then that he is not bringing
any kind of message to the Chinese on behalf of this --

MR. FLEISCHER: That's the first I've heard of it, so let me look
around and see if there's anything to that.

Q: Can you get back to us then?

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes.

....

Q: Ari, does the President want Congress to renew normal trade
relations with China? And two, does the President have any position on
Chinese bid to host the Olympics?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President does support permanent normal trade
relations with China, as well as China's ascension into the WTO.
That's an example of where the President finds areas where the United
States and China can work cooperatively, the President will pursue
those areas. I have not discussed with the President anything about
the Olympics.