U.S. and Hong Kong (1999)

DoD News Briefing

Tuesday, September 28, 1999 - 1:30 p.m.
Presenter: Rear Admiral Craig
Quigley, DASD PA

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Q:...getting ready to celebrate 50 years of communist rule and they are going to introduce some of the new, modern weapons. And also some thoughts are here on Capitol Hill to punish China with sanctions because of continuously selling of missile parts and other military parts to Pakistan and other nations.

Is the Pentagon ready for sanctions against China? How do you view this 50 years of communist rule, the big celebration?

QUIGLEY: Would you ask your question again?

Q: The question is any comment on this 50th celebration of communist rule? China is still the largest communist country in the world. And they are going to introduce new weapons and their continuing testing missiles and all of that, also sale of missiles to Pakistan and other nations.

If Pentagon is ready for any tension against China?

QUIGLEY: I don't think I have anything for you on that today.

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Q: Just one more question on Y2K problems. Are you worried that some of the countries are not really ready (unintelligible)... ...what Pentagon is doing, in touch with those countries?

QUIGLEY: It's not so much the military to military relationships that are in question. It's if we have U.S. facilities overseas on foreign soil and that U.S. facility would receive electricity or water or sewage or some sort of support from the host nation as they almost all do, the host nations' abilities to provide those services in a condition so that they can transition to the year 2000 well. That's the question.

I think the answer varies widely from facility to facility. But it's something that U.S. facility commanders in each of those host nations are working very closely with the host cities and nations to get individual answers to those questions.

Q:...China, India and Pakistan, if they're not ready, what would happen if worst comes to worst?

QUIGLEY: I can't speculate on that one for you. I'm not familiar with the details of their systems. It will vary widely from nation to nation around the world.

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Q: Another item, on Panama. Senator Lott just recently sent a letter to Senator Warner asking for further investigation, and I understand there's going to be a hearing early next month, on the Hutchison Whampoa contractors that have both ports, both ends of the Panama Canal, to check and see who patrols the Hutchison. Is the Pentagon concerned, or let's say do you have any comment on this? And secondly, will the Pentagon be participating in those hearings, or can you tell me yet?

QUIGLEY: I don't know on the hearings, but we do not see this to be a security issue at all.

Q: No security issue at all.

QUIGLEY: Not at all.

Q: Do you believe this company has ties to the mainland Chinese...

QUIGLEY: We have had nothing to indicate that the Chinese have the slightest desire to somehow control the Panama Canal, and we don't consider this a security issue at all. It is a business issue.

Q: In this letter from Trent Lott he raises a series of questions -- I don't know how familiar you are with all of this, about the man who's the chairman or the head of this company -- and the claim is that he has ties to the People's Liberation Army and to the Chinese intelligence community and so on. Is there any reason to believe that that's the case?

QUIGLEY: Again, we do not consider this to be a security issue affecting the United States at all. The guy is a very well established businessman, has been for a very long time. It is an issue between the Panamanian government and private business ventures that choose to... It's an issue within the Panamanian government's control and one that we look at and do not consider to be of a security issue or a security threat to the United States at all.

Q: Senator Lott also complained, or his spokesman complained, that he wrote a letter about this to Secretary Cohen and has received no response. Does the Secretary intend to provide a response to Senator Lott?

QUIGLEY: I don't know...

Q:...just outlined?

QUIGLEY: I will take that question.

Q: Admiral, let me just follow here. Isn't anyone concerned that Hutchison Whampoa may give Chinese intelligence, the PLA, a base with which to operate in a strategic part of the Americas, at least to collect intelligence? Isn't that a concern?

QUIGLEY: We see no indication of that whatsoever.

Press: Thank you.

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