Inside the Ring

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By Bill Gertz INSIDE THE RING

China blinks

China's government and military have blinked in the standoff over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, with the People's Liberation Army lifting its ban on Pentagon talks and visits without an end to weapons sales to the island.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Inside the Ring that the resumption of military exchanges will go forward without the Pentagon's agreement to China's demand that no exchanges be held until the $6.5 billion U.S. arms package to the island is canceled.

Asked about the status of the arms package and China's demand, Mr. Whitman said in a statement that "the U.S. policy on arms sales to Taiwan remains unchanged," repeating comments by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday.

China's military invited Pentagon officials to Beijing for Feb. 27 discussions as part of this year's annual Defense Policy Coordination Talks. The U.S. delegation will be headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Sedney, a former official at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

"Overall, we take this as a positive signal that the Chinese are prepared to begin working to resume regular military-to-military exchanges," Mr. Whitman said. "This year's talks will address the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship, challenges to regional and global security, and potential areas for expanding cooperation between the two militaries."

The talks "represent an opportunity for us to further dialogue with the PRC on areas of shared interest and mutual benefit," he said.

China cut off military exchanges in October to protest the Taiwan arms package, and a Chinese general later said the talks would not resume until the arms sales - including attack helicopters, missile-defense systems and other missiles - were canceled.

The Pentagon, after successive U.S. administrations, has taken the position that selling defensive arms to Taiwan is required under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which provided for Taiwan's defense after the U.S. recognition of the Beijing government.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Hu Changming told the state-run China Daily newspaper on Monday that the dialogue will be "informal."