Bhutto gives US a rocket

PEKING - Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's Prime Minister, yesterday said Washington's stand on Chinese M-11 missile sales to Pakistan was taken on the basis of 'erroneous information', writes Teresa Poole.

Speaking at the end of a visit to Peking, she said China and Pakistan had not violated the Missile Technology Control Regime that was agreed by the developed nations.

In August the US imposed sanctions on Peking and Islamabad for China's alleged sales of M-11 components and technology to Pakistan. 'The US information is wrong . . . And we are willing to engage in . . . dialogue with the US in co-ordination with China to set the US's suspicions in this regard at rest,' she said.

China has become Pakistan's main arms supplier since the US cut off military assistance to Islamabad in 1990 on suspicion that it was developing a atomic bomb.

Ms Bhutto said that the visit, during which she had talks with President Jiang Zemin and her counterpart, Li Peng, was 'rewarding and constructive'. China and Pakistan had complete understanding on global and regional issues.

'We support China on human rights and consider its stand on Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong to be based on the principles of sovereign independence and legal rights.'