China tests its first stealth fighter during visit of US defence secretary
2011年01月12日 07:13 AM
China tests its first stealth fighter during visit of US defence secretary
By Daniel Dombey,Kathrin Hille , in Beijing

China’s first stealth fighter completed its maiden test flight just as Robert Gates, US defence secretary, met Hu Jintao, the country’s president, in a move seen as an anti-American signal by the People’s Liberation Army.

A senior US defence official said Mr Hu appeared not to have known about the J-20’s flight. The remark drew attention to both the possible limits of Mr Hu’s power and the PLA’s seemingly independent agenda.

Mr Gates is in Beijing seeking to prepare the ground for Mr Hu’s visit to Washington next week and to improve ties with China’s military establishment.

“When Secretary Gates raised the question of the J-20 in the meeting with President Hu it was clear that none of the civilians in the room had been informed,” the official said, stressing Mr Gates’s view that this was further reason for increased discussions between the two countries’ civilian officials and the military.

The PLA has been reluctant to intensify contacts. Mr Gates himself said Mr Hu had later told him that the flight had been a “pre-planned test”, adding: “I take President Hu at his word that the test had nothing to do with my visit.”

In separate comments, he said North Korea was “becoming a direct threat to the US”, predicting Pyongyang would develop nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles within five years. But he praised China for seeking to prevent North Korea from lashing out at Seoul.

Some observers interpreted the test flight as a deliberate propaganda move aimed at Mr Gates, who at the start of his China trip had expressed concern at Beijing’s latest achievements in weapons development.

“This is what you call political warfare,” said a diplomat in Beijing.

While it is unlikely Mr Hu would have been wholly ignorant of the test before being asked about it by Mr Gates, military experts believe he may have been unfamiliar with some details, such as its timing. Pictures and written accounts of the test flight first surfaced on Chinese chat rooms, blogs and state media websites just before the meeting.

They said the aircraft flew for about 18 minutes, accompanied by two J-10 fighters, and then landed safely. The websites carried several pictures of an aircraft resembling the one shown in pictures and a video circulating on Chinese sites since Christmas, which allegedly show the stealth fighter.