Chairman of U.S. Joint Chief of Staff visits China http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/22/content_5881876.htm
2007-03-22
BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a four-day visit, the latest sign of the warming ties between the two armed forces.
Invited by Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Liang Guanglie, Pace is the first high-ranking U.S. military officer to visit China this year.
"Your visit is one of the most important item of the China-U.S. military exchanges this year," Liang told Pace Thursday afternoon following a welcoming ceremony.
"I agreed with you this visit is very important for the two countries. I truly believe the future is very great for both China and the United States," Pace said.
Pace said he and Liang should "help each other, understand each other and find ways to do good things for the future of the two countries."
"I look forward to our discussions," Pace said before the closed-door talks began in Bayi Building, the seat of the China's Central Military Commission (CMC), China's top military authority.
Liang said China would like to further military exchanges with the United States.
Liang also briefed Pace on China's defense policy and stance on the Taiwan issue.
Later Thursday afternoon, Peter will also meet with Guo Boxiong and Cao Gangchuan, who are both vice chairpersons of the CMC.
This is also Pace's first China visit since he was sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2005. Pace will also hold a seminar with researchers with the PLA Military Science Academy on Friday.
In addition, the four-day visit will also take Pace to China's military areas and institutions.
Pace will meet with the leaders of Military Areas of Shenyang and Nanjing.
Pace's visit is part of the growing high-level visits between Chinese and U.S. armed forces over the past years.
Guo Boxiong paid a week-long visit last July at the invitation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He was the highest-ranking Chinese military officer to visit the United States since 2001.
William Fallon, Commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, came last May and August. He invited a Chinese delegation to observe a U.S. military exercise in Guam last June, the first invitation of its kind extended by the United States.
The defense departments of the two countries restored a series of consultation mechanisms on maritime security, humanitarian disaster relief and military environmental protection.
A breakthrough in China-U.S. military ties was the first-ever China-U.S. search-and-rescue exercise last year. Yet analysts said there remain some "obstacles" preventing China-U.S. military ties from going forward, which include the Taiwan issue.
In late February, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it planned to sell Taiwan over 400 missiles worth 421 million U.S. dollars. The proposed sale will include Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air missiles, Maverick missiles, as well as spare parts and maintenance equipment.
The U.S. congress passed some bills limiting military exchanges with China, as represented by the 2000 Fiscal Year Defense Authorization Act.
Editor: Jiang Yuxia
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