Qingdao (China) (AFP) - China showed off its new aircraft carrier to US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday, allowing him a first-hand look at a symbol of its growing military prowess.
Hagel arrived in the port city of Qingdao, kicking off a three-day tour of China with a visit to the carrier at Yuchi naval base. He was the first foreigner allowed aboard the vessel by the often secretive People's Liberation Army (PLA), officials said.
His visit to China comes against the backdrop of friction between Washington and Beijing over cyber-spying, with each side trading accusations of digital espionage.
Last month the New York Times and Germany's Der Spiegel reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had accessed the email archive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, communications between top company officials and the source code of some of its products.
The operation grew to include penetrating Huawei communications products sold to third countries, the reports said. Washington has long seen Huawei as a security threat due to perceived close links to the Chinese government, which the company denies.
Upon arrival in Qingdao from Japan, Hagel was greeted by Chinese military officers and US ambassador Max Baucus. Reporters were not allowed to accompany Hagel on to the naval base.
The carrier visit was "significant" as Washington has tried to forge a dialogue with China's top brass to ease tensions and prodded Beijing to be more open about its military, said a senior US defence official in advance of Hagel's inspection.
"We requested this and they agreed," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
