Talks set on Chinese military buildup

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with Japan's foreign minister in Hawaii Wednesday to discuss China's rapid military buildup, officials said.

Clinton and Seiji Maehara will discuss China's military, especially the strengthening of its maritime might, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

The United States proposed the consultations at a meeting of foreign ministers in New York in September, the report said.

Japan's administrative Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg in Washington on Oct. 12 to discuss China's growing naval threat in Asian waters, the newspaper said.

A Chinese publication in May titled "Maritime Development Report 2010" expressed the goal of becoming a "great maritime power." China said in the document it wanted to expand the range of waters that come under Chinese sovereignty.

Details of the talks between Japan and the United States will be confidential to keep from angering China, the report said.