US defence chief seeks end to "misunderstandings" in China (Roundup)

Jan 9, 2011, 12:18 GMT

Beijing - United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the Chinese capital on Sunday evening for an official visit that he hopes will increase strategic dialogue and encourage a more sustainable military relationship between the two nations.

During his three-day visit, Gates is scheduled to meet with senior officials, including President Hu Jintao, to talk about 'strategies and policies and outlooks,' the US Department of Defence said.

'I believe that kind of a dialogue contributes not only to greater understanding, but contributes to avoiding miscalculations and misunderstandings and miscommunications,' Gates had said earlier while en route to Beijing.

The military relationship between the two powers has always ebbed and flowed along with political relations.

The US is hoping to restart joint military exercises that were cut off last year after China objected to the US selling arms to Taiwan.

Greater transparency between the two nations, underpinned by improved strategic dialogue, is also an aim of the visit, Gates said.

There are concerns that China is hiding the extent of its military capabilities. Some believe real defence spending could be double Beijing's official 2010 figure of 76.3 billion dollars.

China is also further along in the development of a stealth aircraft than the US had predicted, and Gates said he is concerned about the country's development of anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles.

In turn, recent US moves to consolidate relationships with other Asian countries have worried China's leadership due to its ongoing territorial disputes in the region.

However, both sides maintain that Gates' trip and Hu's upcoming state visit to Washington will strengthen the relationship.

'It is in the best interests of China, the United States and the world for us to continue to work together,' Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday, the China Daily reported.

Gates is also expected to push for greater cooperation in dealing with North Korean aggression on the Korean peninsula.

He will then travel on to Japan and South Korea.

Read more about China Diplomacy

Read more about US