Obama, Hu talk nuclear security

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The United States and China agreed that, with respect to nuclear security, both countries are on the same page, the White House said.

U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao to an official state visit to the White House this week. The Chinese president's visit follows a tour of China by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Both presidents described the visit by Gates as a successful step in shoring up an amicable bilateral military relationship.

In a joint statement released by the White House, both sides agreed that defense policy talks were important to bilateral affairs.

Both sides, the statement read, agreed to strengthen bilateral communication at all levels to erase any misunderstandings of miscalculations in military affairs.

Obama in his message to the Chinese president thanked Beijing for helping to secure security materials, particularly on the Korean Peninsula.

"We agreed that the paramount goal must be complete denuclearization of the peninsula," he said in his statement. "In that regard, the international community must continue to state clearly that North Korea's uranium enrichment program is in violation of North Korea's commitments and international obligations."