BEIJING China, the most obdurate opponent of President George W. Bush's missile defense system, rebuffed a U.S. attempt on Tuesday to persuade it that the plan is good for world peace.

Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said before going into talks with Chinese officials that he would appeal to Chinese pragmatism in his mission to allay Beijing's fears that the plan would open the door to a new arms race and strategic instability.

But the Foreign Ministry made clear that nothing he said to a Chinese team including top disarmament diplomat Sha Zukang would shift Beijing from its trenchant opposition.

"China's constant position is unchanged. We are opposed to the national missile defense because it destroys the global strategic balance and upsets international stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi told a news conference.

Sun also dismissed as "groundless and irresponsible" a Washington times report that U.S. spy satellites detected evidence that Beijing is preparing to hold an underground nuclear test this month.

The **** Washington Times *** quoted U.S. intelligence officials on Saturday as saying spy satellites picked up vehicle activity last week at the Lop Nur nuclear weapons test site in the Remote western province of Xinjiang.

"That report is groundless and irresponsible," Sun said.

Speaking on Bush's missile plan, Sun said: "The U.S. plan has met the opposition of many countries around the world because it harms their interests as well as the interests of the United States itself," he said.

Kelly had told reporters he sought "a dialogue with Chinese officials on security and stability that reflects today's world" -- reflecting Washington's view that traditional deterrence ideas held by China are increasingly outdated.

"China clearly shares with us an interest in promoting peace and stability in East Asia and the world. Curbing the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is a key element in the maintenance of peace and security," Kelly said.

Kelly, the first senior Bush administration official to visit China, said he would present a Bush strategic vision of "nonproliferation, counter proliferation, missile defense and unilateral reductions in the American strategic forces".

"These reductions will sharply lower the number of such weapons in America," he said.

Sun said U.S. hopes of building a shield against missiles fired by "rogue states" such as North Korea or Iraq would trigger a new arms race and undermine the 1972 Antiballistic Missile treaty that Beijing sees as the cornerstone of the world's strategic balance.

(Reuter)