950828

Chinese mly

commander off

for Hawaii

BEIJING: The Chinese Military Commander for the southern province of Guangdong, Li Xilin, left here Monday for Hawaii after attending ceremonies to mark the end of World War II half a century ago, a report said.

General Li was invited to the US Pacific island state by US Secretary of Defense William Perry and is the first military official to visit since bilateral ties deteriorated following Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's trip to New York in June, the Xinhua news agency said.

Li's trip also follows US Undersecretary of State Peter Tarnoff's talks in Beijing with senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, a move widely seen to get relations back on track. The Chinese general is to represent Defense Minister Chi Haotian at ceremonies from September 1-3 in Honolulu, Xinhua said.-APP