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●Chinese military delegation visits US
A People's Liberation Army delegation led by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA Cai Yingting left Beijing on Aug 20 for an official visit to the United States.

●Senior PLA officials in the delegation:

Cai Yingting, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA	Wang Ning, Chief of Staff of the Beijing Military Area Command	Zheng Qunliang, Deputy Commander of the Jinan Military Area Command	Jia Xiaowei, Chief of Staff of the Guangzhou Military Area Command	Chen Shoumin, Deputy Head of the strategic planning department of the PLA General Staff Headquarters

Visit details	Possible topics
●Both China and the United States did not announce the PLA delegation to US in advance; ●According to the US Department of Defense, the PLA delegation will visit the US army base in Fort Hood, Texas, and other bases; ●This is the second visit led by senior Chinese military officials to the US in about three months.	●Taiwan Issue ●Close reconnaissance of US to China ●Asia-Pacific strategy of US ● South China Sea dispute ● Diaoyu dispute

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Comments:

●China’s military chief visits US to promote regional stability - Sina English

Despite the chaos in the South China Sea and the escalation of disputes on Diaoyus, military exchanges between China and the United States are somewhat unaffected.

●Arms sales add fuel to regional security dilemma - Global Times

US foreign policy will determine whether or not China becomes a hostile power. Ending arms sales to Taiwan will allow the US to make progress toward this objective.

However, until the high levels of strategic mistrust between the US and China dissipate, it is very difficult to see the policy of Taiwan arms sales changing.

Media voices:

	A strategic scholar in Beijing Hu Siyuan said in a Shenzhen TV interview that visits between military parties are a kind of mutual trust and then a sign of connection. Besides, the visit also shows the world that China and the US share a bottom line on South China Sea issue, the Diaoyu Islands dispute, and issues around Japan, Korea and Northeast Asia. The bottom line is not to undermine Sino-US overall relations, and not to destroy the peace of Asia and the world.
	United Press International commented that the US military has long been eager to keep intimate touch with Chinese military. First, it may avoid miscalculations which could result in serious consequences. Second, military exchanges between China and the US are the precondition and guarantee of “transparency” as the US concerns Chinese military “lacking of transparency”.
	Examiner.com reported that the visit comes at a time of increased anxiety in China that the US is increasingly threatening that country militarily by re-establishing military bases in the region in places like Vietnam
	Atlantic Monthly commented that the US had close cooperation with the Soviet Union on spacecraft docking even in cold war. Therefore, the ban of scientific exchanges(A clause in the 2011 US spending bill signed into law in May has partially banned scientific exchanges between China and the US) would undermine both countries’ interests.

Official voice:

	Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo: China hoped the United States could keep up with the main theme of our time --maintain stability, boost cooperation and seek common development. The US should respect the reasonable interests of Asia-Pacific countries and commit itself to promote regional stability and prosperity.

Military Visits   between China and US

In the last 10 years, military exchange visits between China and the United States have been carried out each year except when US announced arms sales to Taiwan. And the exchange visits are even more frequent recently, US-based Huffington Post reported.
	China's Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visits US Time: May 2 - May 10, 2012 Liang Guanglie discussed topics of mutual concern with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, while pledging further cooperation to combat cyber threats.
	Top US Military Officer Mike Mullen Visits China Time: July 10 - July 13, 2011 China and US announced the details of military exchanges to be conducted in the near future after a meeting between high-level military officials of both nations.
	China's senior military official Chen Bingde visits US Time: May 15 - May 22. 2011 China's military chief headed to the US for a week-long visit, the first in seven years, as the two armies seek to build a long-term framework for their communication so as to reduce misjudgment and conflict.
	US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits China Time: January 10 -  January 12, 2011 Robert Gates visited the Second Artillery Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

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