Senior Chinese and US military officers had an in-depth exchange of views on the ties between the two countries and their armies, international and regional situations, as well as other issues of common concern at the Pentagon on Monday.

 

The 9th vice-ministerial level bilateral talks were co-chaired by Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, and US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman.

 

China and the US are constructive partners, and the ties between their armies are an important component of overall bilateral relations, Ma said.

 

Bilateral military ties have developed smoothly in recent years, thanks to the efforts of both sides, he said.

 

Bilateral cooperation in such new areas as military law, military archives and prevention of epidemic diseases has also been expanded, Ma said.

 

Corroborating Ma, Edelman said progress has been made in bilateral military exchanges and cooperation this year.

 

Ma, however, said some problems are yet to be solved for China-US military ties to develop further and one of them is the US National Defense Authorization Act, 2000, which limits military exchanges between the two sides.

 

Ma urged the US side to take concrete action to stop official contacts and military links with the Taiwan authorities and desist from selling advanced weapons to the island to avoid damage to Sino-US relations.

 

Edelman said the US will stick to the points agreed to in the three Joint Communiqus issued by the two countries, uphold the one-China policy and oppose unilateral changes in the status quo of Taiwan Straits.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2007)