BEIJING: China's army chief of staff will visit the United States in mid-May, the defence ministry said Wednesday, as the two countries try to bolster military relations despite their growing rivalry.
"Chen Bingde will pay an official, friendly visit to the United States from May 15 to 22," spokesman Geng Yansheng told reporters at the ministry's first monthly briefing, held in what it said was a move towards greater openness.
Geng said that Chen would hold talks with Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meet with military and political leaders, and visit military command centres, troops and academies.
"Chen's visit to the United States... is one of the most important events in this year's Sino-US military exchanges," Geng said, adding that it was the first in seven years by an officer of his rank.
"It will play an important role in the healthy, stable development of Sino-US military ties."
Tensions soared early last year when China suspended high-level defence contacts with the United States over Washington's sale of more than $6 billion in arms to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory.
Tentative plans for US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit were subsequently called off, but he finally came to China in January this year -- his first trip to Beijing since 2007.
Geng's comments confirmed an earlier report by the official Xinhua news agency, which quoted Chen as saying that US arms sales to Taiwan accounted for the "largest obstacle" in bilateral military relations.
But he added that ties between the two countries' armed forces "face good opportunities now", according to the report.
US military leaders and China's neighbours are increasingly anxious about the pursuit by the People's Liberation Army of sophisticated missiles, satellites, cyber-weapons and fighter jets.
Amplifying these concerns, China last month announced a fresh double-digit hike in military spending in 2011 after funding slowed last year, saying the budget would rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion).
But Beijing has repeatedly sought to alleviate these fears, stressing that the nation's defence policy is "defensive in nature."
The ministry also said Wednesday that an Indian military delegation will soon visit China.
"The visiting delegation of Indian border patrol forces will include officers from several branches of India's military," said Geng, without giving a date.
An atmosphere of suspicion surrounds relations between China and India amid border disputes over Kashmir and the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The two fought a short war in 1962, and the presence in India of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, adds to the tension.
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