Sino-US defence dialogue resumes

New Delhi, Feb 27 (ANI): The United States and China have resumed their defence dialogue with a two-day mid-level talk in Beijing, setting the tone for bilateral military ties between the two countries.

Analysts expected both sides to discuss their security concerns, the core interests of which remain distinct, while trying to draft a timeline for formally recommencing military exchanges.

The exchanges were halted last October, following a proposal to sell 6.5 billion dollars of arms to Taiwan by the Bush Administration, the China Daily reported.

"The talk will reaffirm the importance of the military-to-military relationship and its mutual benefit," Bonnie Glaser, senior associate with the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.

The talks closely followed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's maiden trip to Beijing last week, in which the two sides agreed to expand their strategic dialogue to include security.

Although yielding few concrete results, the meeting is a move in the right direction for the future, analysts said.

"It is more of a symbolic gesture but is still important because both sides need to begin with first steps," Peking University professor Zhu Feng said.

The Ministry of National Defense, which formally announced the talks five days after the Pentagon, insisted the US should faithfully respect China's core interests and major security concerns to create favorable conditions for Sino-US military ties. (ANI)