WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is eager to build a constructive military relationship with its Chinese counterparts through a direct role, the Defense Department said.
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy James Miller met in Beijing this week with Chinese Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff, to discuss bilateral ties.
The Chinese government denied allegations this year it hacked into U.S. national security networks, saying it enjoyed an open military relationship with Washington.
Defense Department spokesman George Little said both sides were eager to build on a solid foundation.
"They also discussed ways to enhance communications to improve understanding and avoid misperception," he said Tuesday. "They discussed how to sustain the positive momentum in building a constructive military relationship and advance a new model of military-to-military relations into the future."
The U.S. military has shifted some of its strategic assets to the Asia-Pacific region as a part of a realignment coinciding with the end of combat operations in Iraq.
Wang said Monday bilateral talks focused on the need to build a relationship based on mutual understanding between two of the world's leading powers.
