US, China commit to healthy military relations
9 May 2012 5:18 AM GMT
Noting that the US and China are both Pacific powers and their relationship is one of the most critical in the world, the defense ministers of the two countries meeting for the first time in Washington in nine years, have committed themselves to a healthy, stable, reliable and continuous military to military relationship.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie made the pledge of their commitment during the joint conference at the Pentagon after their meeting. 'In my meeting with General Liang, I expressed my commitment to achieving and maintaining a healthy, stable, reliable and continuous mil-to-mil relationship with China,' Panetta told reporters at a joint news conference.
Panetta said he looks forward to travelling to China in the next few months. 'The US and China are both Pacific powers, and our relationship is one of the most critical in the world. We share many interests across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, from humanitarian assistance to concerns about weapons of mass destruction to terrorism to drug interdictions to trade to counter piracy,' he said.
As such he argued, it is essential that the two nations communicate effectively on a range of very challenging issues.
Panetta said the US and China had already worked together in a variety of areas and they were expanding their cooperation, particularly in areas of peacekeeping, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie made the pledge of their commitment during the joint conference at the Pentagon after their meeting. 'In my meeting with General Liang, I expressed my commitment to achieving and maintaining a healthy, stable, reliable and continuous mil-to-mil relationship with China,' Panetta told reporters at a joint news conference.
Panetta said he looks forward to travelling to China in the next few months. 'The US and China are both Pacific powers, and our relationship is one of the most critical in the world. We share many interests across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, from humanitarian assistance to concerns about weapons of mass destruction to terrorism to drug interdictions to trade to counter piracy,' he said.
As such he argued, it is essential that the two nations communicate effectively on a range of very challenging issues.
Panetta said the US and China had already worked together in a variety of areas and they were expanding their cooperation, particularly in areas of peacekeeping, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
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