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Chinese, S Korean

defence chiefs discuss

military cooperation

SEOUL: The defence chiefs of China and South Korea on Thursday began talks on boosting military cooperation between the former Cold War foes, Seoul's Defence Ministry said.

Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian inspected an honour guard at South Korea's war memorial in central Seoul before holding talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Sung-Tae at the start of his historic visit here.

Chi arrived on Wednesday for a five-day official visit, becoming the first Chinese defence minister to visit South Korea in the five decades since the end of the Korean War.

Officials here said the two ministers were expected to discuss exchanges of military officers, including between Joint Chiefs of Staff and chiefs of staff, as well as the holding of routine meetings between the ministers and port calls of naval ships.

Crucial regional security issues, such as North Korea's ballistic missile development, opposition to the US theater missile defence system and recently boosted Japan-US defence cooperation will also likely come up in the talks, officials indicated.

China, like North Korea, fiercely opposes US plans to set up a hi-tech missile system, capable of shooting down missiles in flight, to counter the perceived threat from states like Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

Chi's visit is widely seen here as a historic step towards the former battlefield foes' moves to shed the last vestiges of Cold War enmity dating back to the 1950-53 Korean conflict, which has technically never ended.

The once icy relations between China and South Korea are warming after the two countries established diplomatic ties eight years ago, despite a furious reaction from rival North Korea.

Chi paid a courtesy call on South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung on Wednesday during which the two men expressed their desire that their two countries further improve their relations and cooperation.

During the meeting, Kim thanked China for understanding and support for Seoul's "Sunshine Policy" of engagement with North Korea while Chi reaffirmed China's continued efforts for peace in the region.

China and North Korea still maintain a 1961 mutual defence pact under which either country would come to the defence of the other in case of war. The pact is however now thought to be all but defunct in practice.

China backed North Koreans after they invaded South Korea in 1950, sparking the three-year-long Korean War against Seoul and the United States.ÑAFP