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)
