Top Chinese generals have met the US Army chief in Beijing in an effort to help build trust between the nations' militaries.
China's Defence Ministry greeted US Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno with full military honors on Friday morning.
Lieutenant General Wang Ning, Deputy Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army, has expressed the Chinese military's willingness to deepen military exchanges with the US.
"We look forward to a continuous development of the relationship between the militaries of China and the US. In the meantime, we also look forward to a continuous development of the exchanges and cooperation between the armies of our two nations."
For his part, General Odierno stressed the importance of military-to-military dialogue between the two countries.
"We have many common objectives about our countries so I think it's important to have this kind of dialogue. We both have incredibly professional armies so I look forward to the substantive discussions that we will have on both regional and international issues that we certainly have many common interests."
General Odierno's visit came amid bitter disputes between China and two US allies - Japan and the Philippines - over territorial claims in the East and South China seas.
Despite those tensions, the militaries have pushed ahead with limited steps to reduce longstanding mistrust between them.
They have held simulations aimed at cooperating in humanitarian relief operations, and China's navy later this year is to take part in multi-national naval exercises off Hawaii.
