Senior Chinese, US military officers hold phone talks

China is willing to work with the United States to advance new-type military relations featuring equality, reciprocity and win-win cooperation and to jointly maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, a senior Chinese military officer said Tuesday. To that end, China's military is willing to strengthen its communications with the U.S. military to enhance mutual trust, handle differences properly, and deepen cooperation, Fang Fenghui, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, told Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, over phone. Fang welcomed Dempsey's scheduled visit to China in April, saying China-U.S. military relations are an important part of the overall relations between the two countries and also among the most important military relations in the world. China attaches great importance to China-U.S. military relations, he noted. Dempsey said that one of the most important tasks, after he took office, is to push the construction of solid U.S.-China military ties and keep moving the ties. He said he is looking forward to conducting further communications with the Chinese side on regional security issues as well as military exchanges and cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese armed forces when he visits China next month. The two senior military officers also exchanged views frankly on regional security issues.