That is because the answer would have been no, Western officials said.

Western officials said they were told he was leaving for "security reasons."

Several Western officials said they believed it was more than 20.

But Western officials said the move had been under consideration for some months.

But two Western officials said financial rescue would not come soon.

But Western officials said they had no proof this was the case.

Western officials said the new goal was to end the talks over the weekend.

Western officials are beginning to question who will chart China's military strategy in the next century.

That idea, a Western official said, had very little chance of becoming reality.

Western officials do not know how many such missiles the Chinese plan to field.