After a 10-day visit to China, the commanding officer of U.S. forces in the Pacific region says he knows nothing more about Beijing's intentions behind a stunning kinetic antisatellite (ASAT) demonstration that took place just over one year ago.

Also elusive, according to Adm. Timothy Keating, is an understanding of who in the Chinese chain of command approved the Jan. 11, 2006 launch of a ballistic missile carrying a kinetic kill vehicle. It collided with China's aging FY-1C weather satellite, creating more than 2,000 items of debris now in low-Earth orbit. It also jump-started a public discussion in Washington, DC, about how much of a threat direct-ascent ASAT technologies pose to U.S. assets in space.

Keating says that in his meetings with senior Chinese military officers they consistently made note of a precedent set by the United States, which conducted a direct-ascent ASAT demonstration in 1985 using a missile launched from an F-15.

Keating made his comments during a Jan. 28 Defense Writers' Group breakfast in Washington. Keating says he's "not overly concerned" about the potential threat to U.S. satellites posed by China. But, he says, "It is not an insignificant issue."

Overall, Keating says the meetings were more collegial than past encounters he's had with the Chinese military leadership. In particular, on the subject of Taiwan, Keating described the discussion as "less a sermon" and "less of a confrontation" than his visit last May.

To further improve military relations, Keating is continuing a push from previous Pacific Command chiefs to establish a phone line between himself and a Chinese counterpart. To date, U.S. military officials lack even a phone number to call in a time of crisis. "It is as tough to get these guys as it is [New York Yankees owner George] Steinbrenner," he says. The next meeting on this topic will be in February.

Such a connection would have been useful, he says, late last year when Chinese officials denied access to two U.S. minesweepers and the carrier Kitty Hawk to port in Hong Kong. The minesweepers had run low on fuel during bad weather in the South China Sea, Keating says, and wished to refuel in Hong Kong, but they were turned away.

The Kitty Hawk was expected in port by families of service men and women on board, but it was denied access during the Thanksgiving holiday in November. After State Dept. officials intervened, the Chinese changed their decision, allowing the Kitty Hawk entry into the port. But, the holiday had passed and the carrier had shifted to another location.