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| Image: Flickr User - Ash Carter |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The U.S. Defense Secretary met the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission to discuss mil-mil relations.
Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met with General Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission and one Beijing’s top military officials, at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. to discuss concrete military-to-military cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
General Fan is the most senior Chinese military leader to visit Washington since Chinese President Xi Jinping took over the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Fan directly reports to Xi, the only person outranking the general in the Central Military Commission.
According to DoD News, land reclamation by China and other rival claimants in the South China Sea was one of the principal topics of discussion, with both sides sticking to their positions. Carter once more stated that the United States wants China and all other countries to stop building islands and end the militarization of disputed territories.
“Secretary Carter reiterated U.S. concerns on the South China Sea, and called on China and all claimants to implement a lasting halt on land reclamation, cease further militarization, and pursue a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in accordance with international law,” a Pentagon statement said.
Read the full story at The Diplomat