(CFP)

General Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), arrives in Washington, D.C. on May 15 for an eight-day official visit to the United States. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a grand ceremony at Fort Myer in Washington on May 17 to welcome Chen.

Chen's visit was the first in seven years by a PLA chief of the general staff. Besides Mullen, Chen held talks with other U.S. military and political officials, such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Adviser Tom Donilon. He delivered a speech at the National Defense University of the United States.

The visit is expected to promote the establishment of a new-type military relationship between China and the United States.

General Chen Bingde delivers a speech at the National Defense University of the United States on May 18 (CFP)