Jun.09 (China Military News cited from The Wall Street Journal and written by EVAN RAMSTAD) -- The wary relationship between the militaries of the U.S. and China flared openly—though courteously—at a conference here this weekend, a brief flash of the long-standing tension that's centered on taiwan but extends to their broader alliances and differing worldviews.

Beijing cut off military ties earlier this year to protest American arms sales to taiwan and decided not to invite U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit while he was in Asia for the annual security summit in Singapore called the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue.

PLA Navy's Fleet

That move came as something of a surprise to U.S. officials, who just last month were touting the impending trip as a potential breakthrough. And in his speech at the conference and in remarks to reporters on his way to Singapore, Mr. Gates said he was disappointed by China's decision.

Mr. Gates said there's a "real cost" to not holding high-level meetings between the two militaries and said that he couldn't understand why China chose a cut-off of the meetings to protest the U.S. arms sales weapons to taiwan. He described the sales as a long-standing practice, defensive in nature and said the U.S. doesn't support independence for taiwan.

Chinese military officers poked back at the conference. Maj, Gen. Zhu Chenghu, director-general at China's National Defense University, said he viewed the U.S.'s willingness to sell arms to taiwan as a legitimate reason for the two countries' militaries not to talk with each other. He said the sole purpose of selling weapons to taiwan is to prevent the reunification of China.

"This sort of arms sale sends to the Chinese one signal, that Chinese are taking the Americans as partners and friends while you Americans are taking the Chinese as enemies," Maj. Gen. Zhu said as Mr. Gates sat on the dais.

Mr. Gates responded, "The U.S. does not consider China as an enemy but as a partner in many areas and there a growing number of areas where we are working together, which makes the lack of progress on the military side stand out all the more."

At the end of his appearance, Mr. Gates walked into the audience and shook hands with the senior Chinese official on hand, Maj. Gen.Ma Xiaotian. But unlike in previous years, the U.S. held no bilateral meetings at the conference with the Chinese.

Mr. Ma spoke to the conference later and didn't touch on the U.S-taiwan arms sale dispute in his speech. But in response to a questioner, Mr. Ma said, "U.S. arms sales to taiwan are not something normal. They have been interfering in U.S.-China relations for 30 years."

He said China doesn't expect to force the U.S. to halt its sales to taiwan, but added China has a right to make a "due reaction."

"The United States said that it does not support independence for taiwan," Mr. Ma said. "We hope this is not what the United States says but also what it does."

Another exchange between Messrs. Gates and Zhu made clear the differing alliances of the two countries. In his questions to Mr. Gates, Maj. Gen. Zhu asked how the U.S. could criticize North Korea for attacking a South Korean warship in March and not Israel for raiding a Turkish-led flotilla trying to reach the Gaza strip last week.

China has refused to criticize North Korea but sharply criticized Israel. Meanwhile, the U.S. condemned North Korea but has said more needs to be learned about the Israeli raid.

Mr. Gates said the two situations differed because North Korea carried out a surprise attack on South Korea but Israel had warned organizers of the flotilla that it should not approach Gaza.

"I won't make judgments on responsibility or fault" on the Israeli raid, Mr. Gates said. "I think there is value in an investigation that has international credibility in terms of responsibility in that case. But there was no surprise associated with it."