US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said he stood ready to revive a dialogue with China's military, especially in light of some "worrying" signals from Beijing. Forging relations between the two countries' armed forces was crucial to preventing misunderstandings, Gates, who recently saw a planned visit to China cancelled, told a news conference during a trip to South Korea.
The defence secretary acknowledged he was "disappointed" at China's rebuff of his scheduled visit in June, but was willing to move forward. "I remain open to rebuilding and strengthening military-to-military dialogue between the United States and China because I think it can play an important role in preventing miscalculations and misunderstandings," he said.
"We are obviously concerned by some of the things China has said and some of the things China is doing in the military arena. They are worrying," he said. Washington's misgivings about Beijing's military build-up underscored the need to press ahead with a regular dialogue, he said. Gates, however, praised China for backing a UN statement condemning the sinking of a South Korean warship. The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, also called for resuming a dialogue with China's armed forces during a visit to South Korea.
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