FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Readout of the U.S.-China Defense Consultative Talks
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
Officials from the United States and China met Sept. 9, 2013 in Beijing for the 14th annual Defense Consultative Talks. Dr. James Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy, and Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff, led their respective country's delegations. The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Joint Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, the National Security Staff and the State Department.
Miller and Wang underscored the accomplishments that the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship has achieved thus far this year. 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. In this regard, the two agreed to further the exploration of the two proposals on military confidence building offered by President Xi at Sunnylands.
The two leaders discussed how to enhance strategic trust and build upon opportunities to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping, and maritime safety. They also discussed ways to enhance communications to improve understanding and avoid misperception. Both agreed to continue discussions between maritime legal experts, and sustain dialogue in key strategic areas including nuclear, missile defense, space, and cyber.
The two sides also exchanged views on the East and South China Sea. On North Korea, Miller emphasized the significant concerns of the United States regarding North Korea's nuclear and missile developments and called on China to maintain and increase pressure on North Korea to bring the regime back to credible and authentic negotiations aimed at denuclearization.
