Defense officials from the United States and China met in Beijing on September 9 and discussed how to continue the progress that has taken place in the military relationship between their countries, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said yesterday.
In a statement summarizing the 14th annual defense consultative talks, Little said James N. Miller, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, and Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff, led their respective country’s delegations. The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Joint Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, the national security staff and the State Department, he added.
“Miller and Wang underscored the accomplishments that the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship has achieved thus far this year,” the press secretary said. “They discussed how to sustain the positive momentum in building a constructive military relationship and advance a new model of military-to-military relations into the future.”
In this regard, he added, the two agreed to further the exploration of the two proposals on military confidence building offered in June by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a two-day working meeting in California with President Barack Obama.
“The two leaders discussed how to enhance strategic trust and build upon opportunities to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping and maritime safety,” Little stressed. “They also discussed ways to enhance communications to improve understanding and avoid misperception.”
Both agreed to continue discussions between maritime legal experts, the press secretary said, and to sustain dialogue in key strategic areas including nuclear, missile defense, space and cyber. The two sides also exchanged views on the East and South China Sea, Little continued.
Miller emphasized the significant U.S. concerns regarding North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments, Little said, and called on China to maintain and increase pressure on North Korea “ to bring the regime back to credible and authentic negotiations aimed at denuclearization.”
[mappress] Press Release, September 11, 2013