Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) leaders pose with Adm. Prueher: Front Row, L to R: Gen. Fu Quanyou, Adm. Prueher, Gen. Zhang Wannian, U.S. Amb. James Sasser, and Maj. Gen. Luo Bin. Back Row, L to R: Dr. Ron Montaperto, Brig. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hess, Capt. Dave Nichols, Amb. Richard W. Teare, Mr. I-Chuan Chen, Capt. Zhu Shan, and Sr. Col. Tang Huaiguang.

Adm. Joseph W. Prueher, Commander in Chief United States Pacific Command (USCINCPAC), conducted an official visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC) 10­16 December, 1997. Adm. Prueher was invited by Lt. Gen. Wu Quanxu, Deputy Chief of the General Staff for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), to reciprocate for Lt. Gen. Wu's visit to Hawaii in July 1997. Accompanying Adm. Prueher was Mrs. Prueher; Amb. Richard W. Teare, Foreign Policy Advisor to USCINCPAC; Dr. Ron Montaperto of the National Defense University; and U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) staff officers.

This was Adm. Prueher's second visit to China and took place in an atmosphere of renewed efforts by both countries to reinvigorate relations, particularly in the military arena.

The visit concluded a busy year of Chinese-U.S. bilateral military exchanges that began with Minister of Defense Gen. Chi Haotian's visit to the United States in December 1996. Subsequent activities included a military medical information exchange, the first-ever visit of Chinese warships to the United States in March 1997, and 11 senior officer exchanges.

Adm. Prueher's trip began in Beijing with meetings between senior political and military officials to discuss the health and future of PLA-USPACOM relations. The meetings focused on ways for PLA and USPACOM forces to build on the successes enjoyed in 1997, but did not shy away from issues on which the two nations disagree. During discussions with one senior PLA flag officer, Adm. Prueher was asked what he was thinking during the March 1996 Taiwan Straits Missile Crisis. Adm. Prueher responded, "I remember wishing I had your telephone number."

The time in Beijing allowed Adm. Prueher to renew his acquaintance with Gen. Chi Haotian, Gen. Fu Quanyou, and Lt. Gen. Wu Quanxu. Adm. Prueher also had the opportunity to establish new relationships with Gen. Zhang Wannian, senior military member of the Central Military Commission, and Lt. Gen. Kui Fulin, senior Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Lt. Gen. Kui was Adm. Prueher's gracious host while in Beijing. President Jiang Zemin also received Adm. Prueher, who had welcomed President Jiang to Hawaii when he was enroute to his October summit with U.S. President Clinton. One member of the PRC Ministry of Defense Foreign Affairs Bureau described Adm. Prueher's visit as enjoying the broadest access ever accorded to a visiting military official on any one trip.

A common theme of the meetings was agreement by both hosts and guests that a stable and positive relationship between the PLA and the U.S. military benefits not only the two nations, but also the region as a whole. Perhaps more important to future relations were the discussions on where we can work together--either jointly or concurrently --in support of regional and global needs. The two militaries have already been co-participants in several UN-sponsored peacekeeping operations and both are active contributors to regional disaster relief operations. Peacekeeping and disaster relief training are just two of many venues highlighted by Adm. Prueher as areas open for future PLA-USPACOM cooperation.

The meetings in Beijing also included an opportunity for Adm. Prueher to deliver a speech to the PLA's National Defense University and to answer articulate questions from several students. Meetings in Beijing were followed by visits to elements of the PLA's air, land and naval components in the Jinan, Nanjing and Guangzhou Military Regions. Apart from the welcome familiarity of being with front-line combat units, the visits to the southern sites also allowed Adm. Prueher and his delegation to see more of the natural beauty of China, and learn more about China's long and rich history.

Under the able escort of Maj. Gen. and Mrs. Luo Bin, Adm. Prueher and his delegation traveled to a PLA Air Force Flight Test and Development Center in Cangzhou, Jinan Province. While weather precluded a scheduled flight demonstration of F-7E and F-8-II fighter aircraft, the extra time allowed for in-depth discussions with the commander of the center and several of his test pilots. A static display of assigned aircraft provided some of the flight and maintenance crews an opportunity to show off their well-maintained equipment. The party then continued on to Nanjing.

Lt. Gen. Fang Zuqi, Political Commissar of the Nanjing Military Region, hosted the admiral and briefed the delegation on the mission, organization and responsibilities of the Nanjing Military Region Headquarters. The next day the group visited the 179th Infantry Division headquarters and barracks area, viewed a live-fire assault demonstration by a dismounted infantry platoon, and toured a very impressive farm complex run by the PLA. Throughout the day, soldiers were available to explain the demonstrations as well as their personal jobs in the PLA.

After leaving the Army in Nanjing, the PLA Navy hosted Adm. Prueher in Zhanjiang. Vice Adm. Wang Yongguo, Commander of the South [China] Seas Fleet who led the Chinese naval visit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March 1997, welcomed the group at his modern headquarters. Here they observed impressive individual and collective capability demonstrations by the 1st Marine Brigade. The stay in Zhanjiang also allowed Adm. Prueher to meet the captain and crew of the Chinese Destroyer Zhuhai, one of the three PLA Navy warships on the Pearl Harbor visit. While touring the Zhuhai, Adm. Prueher presented several copies of the Fall 1997 issue of the Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM, pointing out the article on their March visit.

From Zhanjiang, the party traveled to Guangzhou for the final stop. Gen. Tao Bojun, the military region's commander, gave an outstanding briefing on the Guangzhou Military Region. Following the briefing and lunch, Adm. Prueher gave the second of his two speeches in China to the faculty and students of the Guangzhou Surface Warfare Academy, a school for junior naval line officers.

The U.S. delegation was treated to an excellent mix of cultural activities and official functions, with several evening performances showcasing the respective PLA units' own talented personnel. Additional side trips to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall reminded the Americans of China's historical legacy and ancient culture.

The warm reception extended by each of the Chinese military hosts was an important change from Adm. Prueher's 1996 visit, which closely followed the Taiwan Straits Missile Crisis. The change signals a significant improvement in the Sino-U.S. bilateral military relationship, and confirms the important role a growing military relationship plays in advancing the overall Chinese-American relationship.

Today, the relationship between the People's Liberation Army and the U.S. Pacific Command continues to improve, and USPACOM is working hard to advance the relationship even further. While areas of disagreement may surface, the improved relationship will make those disagreements more manageable.

Perhaps the most important result of Adm. Prueher's December 1997 trip to China, is that, should there be another crisis like the March 1996 Taiwan Straits Missile Crisis, Adm. Prueher now has the phone number.