China has insisted that its military technology lags "decades behind" the United States and other developed countries and poses no threat to the rest of the world. Liang Guanglie, the Chinese defence minister, spoke on the first day of a three-day trip to Beijing by Robert Gates, the US Defence secretary. The efforts that we place on the research and development of weapons systems are by no means targeted at any third country or any other countries in the world, and it will by no means threaten any other country in the world, said Mr Liang.
His conciliatory tone was echoed by Li Keqiang, who is likely to become China's prime minister next year. On the first day of a tour of Britain, Mr Li stressed that China had actively mediated to reduce international tensions in Iran, Darfur and North Korea.
Read More China: military 'decades behind' US
