Beijing, October 18:

US Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld today accused China of understating the scope of its defence spending, and he said this is sowing suspicion about how China intends to use its growing military might.

Rumsfeld arrived in the Chinese capital for his first visit since he became US President George W Bush’s defence chief in 2001. He was scheduled to meet tomorrow President Hu Jintao, who is also the chairman of the Central Military Commission, which runs the Chinese military.

In an interview aboard his plane en route from Washington, Rumsfeld questioned China’s motives in underreporting its defence spending. He mentioned no figures, but the Pentagon said last summer that China may be spending $90 billion on defence this year - three times the announced total.

“I think it’s interesting that other countries wonder why they would be increasing their defence effort at the pace they are and yet not acknowledging it,” Rumsfeld said. “That is as interesting as the fact that it’s increasing at the pace it is.” Asked about Rumsfeld’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Beijing hopes the visit can “increase mutual understanding and trust” between the two sides. China publishes defence white papers annually outlining its military spending and goals, Kong said at a regular news briefing.

He did not respond directly to the claim that Beijing underreports its military budget. “We hope Rumsfeld’s visit to China will increase his understanding of China’s policy of firmly taking a peaceful road,” he said. Rumsfeld said the US government welcomes China’s emergence as an economic power, but he said that development has created “somewhat of a tension” for its communist leaders as they attempt to cope with new influences and ideas that inevitably enter the country along with foreign investment. “China is an important country in the region; it’s a country that’s increasingly important in the world,” he said.

Rumsfeld was also scheduled to meet tomorrow the Chinese defence minister, Gen Cao Gangchuan, and to speak at the Central Party School, the Communist Party’s top training centre for mid-career members and its main ideological think tank. Hu was the school’s president before he became the Communist Party general secretary. Other topics expected to arise during Rumsfeld’s visit include tensions over Taiwan, and US encouragement for China to use its influence with North Korea in six-party negotiations to end the isolated country’s nuclear ambitions.