Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday visited the Second Artillery Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), according to sources from the Chinese Defense Ministry.

Jing Zhiyuan, commander of the PLA Second Artillery Force, met with Gates, said a statement from the ministry's Foreign Affairs Office.

Jing, also a member of China's Central Military Commission, "briefed on China's nuclear policy and strategy, and the two sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual concern," said the statement.

Gates will visit the Great Wall in northern suburb of Beijing before concluding his four-day China trip later Wednesday.