Better Soviet Ties OK, U.S. Aide Tells Peking

PEKING — The United States does not fear an improvement in ties between China and the Soviet Union, Michael H. Armacost, under secretary of state for political affairs, said Tuesday after ending two days of talks with Chinese leaders.

Armacost, the third-ranking official in the State Department, minimized recent overtures between the Communist powers and said it is “too early to make judgments” about whether there will be a rapprochement between Peking and Moscow, which split over ideological and territorial differences a quarter of a century ago.