The four-star general in charge of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific was granted access to Jining Air Base in China — the first American military commander to visit there — as the U.S. continues a military engagement policy with the country.

Gen. Paul V. Hester, who is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, said he visited the Su-27 fighter-bomber base, as well as Jianqiao Air Base, where he saw FB-7s, all-weather, supersonic, medium-range fighter-bombers. Hester had access to the aircraft, including sitting in the cockpit.

The July 23-28 visit by Hester was the first by a senior U.S. officer to meet primarily with People's Liberation Army Air Force officials.

Hester has responsibility for U.S. Air Force activities in a command that supports 55,500 Air Force personnel serving principally in Hawai'i, Alaska, Guam, Japan and South Korea.

During a teleconference with reporters yesterday, Hester said the visits are a way of continuing to have openness with China, but the country's intentions remains unclear.

"Quite honestly, going to see the two air bases with these two (fighter) platforms is a step forward in openness," Hester said. "There are still a lot of unknowns, and if you will, unanswered questions, as you have conversations with them about 'Where are you going in terms of what is your vision?' There are certainly not much solid answers to that question of 'What is your vision for your military and where will it lead you?' "

The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, a Pentagon long-range plan, said the U.S. is concerned about the pace, scope and direction of China's military modernization.

China announced in March that it would increase its military budget by 17.8 percent in 2007 to $45 billion — an amount that in actuality may be closer to $430 billion, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Although the U.S. remains militarily superior — the U.S. Navy has 12 aircraft carriers while China has none — advances such as China's successful Jan. 11 attempt to shoot down one of its aging weather satellites with a missile have raised fears.

The U.S. believes that regular exchanges and contact reduce the chance of accidents and prevent incidents like the forced landing of a U.S. EP-3 spy plane in 2001 after a collision with a Chinese fighter over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot, who flew too close to the U.S. aircraft, was killed, and the U.S. Navy crew was held on Hainan Island for 11 days after making a forced landing.

Hester yesterday said there have been continued Chinese fighter intercepts of U.S. surveillance aircraft, but "they have all been very professionally done, and they have run their intercepts in accordance with fairly clear rules of engagement."

In addition to the two air bases, Hester also met in Beijing with the People's Liberation Army Air Force commander and in Nanjing met with a Nanjing Military Region Command official roughly equivalent to U.S. Adm. Timothy Keating, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, who is based at Camp Smith.

Hester said the Chinese are trying to modernize their air force.

"It appears that they are putting lots of money into that and are building a lot of (aircraft) at about the same time," he said.

Hester said the Chinese did not show him their new J-10 multirole fighter, which was unveiled in January.

"I volunteered to go see the J-10 and fly it," said Hester, a combat veteran with more than 200 hours in Southeast Asia and 3,200 flight hours during his career. "They just didn't give me an invitation to do that."

Keating traveled to China in May.

In March, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, examined a Chinese-built Su-27 fighter-bomber at Anshan Air Base.

The hope is that China's military officers will continue to visit U.S. ships and bases. U.S. Pacific Air Forces officials said Gen. Qiao Qingchen, a member of the Central Military Commission and commander of the People's Liberation Air Force, was invited by Hester to visit the U.S. Qiao accepted, and planning for the visit is under way.

Hester announced that he was retiring at the same time the Defense Department nominated Lt. Gen. Carrol "Howie" Chandler as the next Pacific Air Forces commander.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.