China, US to resume military talks on February 27-28

New Delhi, Feb 16 (ANI): China and the US will resume their military talks with a defense policy dialogue in Beijing on February 27-28.

The dialogue between the countries' senior military officers was postponed in November after the former President George W. Bush Administration announced in October to sell 6.5 billion dollars worth of arms to Taiwan despite China's protest.

The dialogue will be informal, Defense Ministry spokesman Hu Changming said on Sunday, the China Daily reported.

The talks, a routine yearly meeting between Washington and Beijing since 1997, is likely to be hosted by a US Deputy Defense Minister and a Deputy Chief of China's Army.

The talks will focus on the expansion of bilateral military cooperation and joint implementation of measures to address security concerns across the world, especially in East Asia.

"The Barack Obama Administration has set a positive tone to work with China," said Rear Admiral Yang Yi, senior military expert with the University of National Defense.

"So the US Defense Department must have worked closely with the State Department to schedule the dialogue right after Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's visit," he added.

On the eve of her first overseas tour as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said her administration would use "smart power" to work with historic allies and emerging countries in order to find regional and global solutions to common global problems.

"And we look forward to improved relations across the Straits," Clinton said while addressing a gathering of Asia Society in New York.

She said the US and the mainland would resume mid-level military discussions by this month. She will arrive in Beijing on Friday to discuss the global financial crisis, regional security and climate change. (ANI)