China and the United States issued a joint statement in Beijing Tuesday, promising that the two countries would "take concrete steps" to advance "sustained and reliable" military-to-military relations in the future.

"The two sides will actively implement various exchange and cooperation programs agreed between the two militaries, including by increasing the level and frequency of exchanges," according to the joint statement issued after Chinese President Hu Jintao met with visiting U.S. President Barack Obama.

The two sides commended the outcomes of the visit to the U.S. by General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, in October this year.

Preparations would be made for the visit to the U.S. by General Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army, and the visits to China by Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the statement showed.

The goal of these efforts, according to the statement, is to improve the Chinese and U.S. militaries' capabilities for practical cooperation and foster greater understanding of each other's intentions and of the international security environment.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2009)