HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates pushed for reopening military-to-military relations with China during a conference in Vietnam, he said Monday.
During a meeting of Asian defense ministers, Gates met privately with Gen. Liang Guanglie of China. Gates told The New York Times he explained to his counterpart that arms sales to Taiwan, which led China to freeze military ties, were a decision by the U.S. political leadership, not the Pentagon or the armed forces.