At a joint press conference with Dempsey on April 22, Fang pointed out that China would work with other parties concerned to prevent a possible new nuclear test in North Korea, which Teng said gave the two sides common ground for cooperation.

The Chinese and U.S. sides also announced that their armed forces would hold a joint drill on humanitarian rescue and disaster relief in 2013. A joint anti-piracy drill between navies in the Gulf of Aden is also in the pipeline.

Yao Yunzhu, a senior researcher with the Academy of Military Science of the PLA, said the militaries of both countries would continue to pursue concrete cooperation and engage in regular exchanges.

Barriers ahead

Teng noted that unlike former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, the second-term Obama administration diplomatic team has shown a low profile in dealing with China.

During their trips to China, both Kerry and Dempsey revealed cooperative attitudes toward Beijing.

Even so, Teng claimed Washington has yet to change its strategic intention to maintain U.S. dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Mutual doubts still exist. The United States worries about the rapid growth of Chinese military forces, especially as it has cut its own military budget due to fiscal problems. Meanwhile, China is very concerned about the U.S. military shift toward the Asia-Pacific, including the deployment of missile defense systems in the region," Teng said.

In addition, Yao said traditional problems such as the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, Washington's surveillance ships off the Chinese coast as well as the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000, which sets restrictions on exchanges between the two militaries, still inhibit Sino-U.S. military ties.

Wang Xiangsui, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said communication between military leaders of both countries will become more frequent and routine.

To establish mutual trust, Wang said the two countries need to overcome obstacles. In his opinion, the United States should acknowledge that China is a regional power that does not pose a threat to U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region. If both countries continue to view each other as imaginary enemies, mutual trust will remain a dream, Wang said.

"The Asia-Pacific region has become the most vigorous place in the world and we share the responsibility of jointly safeguarding the peace and stability in the region," Fang said at the joint press conference with Dempsey.

"We respect U.S. interests in the region and are glad to see the United States play a constructive role in Asia-Pacific affairs," he added.

Focal Points

During his meeting with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, Fang Fenghui, Chief of the PLA General Staff, called on the two militaries to focus on the following four areas in their collaboration efforts:

Increasing dialogue and consultations to bolster trust

Deepening results-oriented cooperation to expand mutual interests

Respecting each other's core interests and removing barriers to the development of military-to-military ties

Emphasizing crisis management, effectively responding to security risks, advancing defense relations and contributing to regional and international peace

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)

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