Top defense official to visit military sites

State Councilor and Defense Minister Liang Guanglie will pay an official visit to the United States from Friday to May 10, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

It is the first high-level military exchange between the two countries since relations were hurt by the US' plan to sell arms to Taiwan last year.

During the visit, Liang will meet with US state and military leaders, and hold talks as well as a joint news conference with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the Defense Ministry's Foreign Affairs Office said in a news release.

Liang will also visit the US Southern Command, Fort Benning, Naval Base San Diego, the 4th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force, the II Marine Expeditionary Force of the US Marine Corps and the US Military Academy at West Point.

Liang said in the news release that he is looking forward to the visit, which aims to implement the consensus of the two countries' leaders on building a cooperative partnership of mutual respect and benefit.

The visit is also expected to enhance mutual understanding and trust, promote cooperation and push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties as well as military ties, he said.

Liang on Wednesday met the visiting US acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy James Miller, a member of US delegation in Beijing for the fourth round of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The US would like to work with China for the common interest of security and healthy bilateral military ties, an important part of China-US relations, Miller said.

The overall China-US relationship has maintained good momentum, while the military ties face a new development opportunity, Liang said. "Both sides need to expand common interests and resolve differences."

However, the US arms sale to Taiwan, an inalienable part of China, remains the biggest obstacle to normal military-to-military exchanges.

In 2010, China canceled military dialogue with the US after the Obama administration announced plans to sell $6.4 billion worth of arms to Taiwan, including Patriot air defense missiles and Blackhawk helicopters.