BEIJING, China (CCTV) — United States Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day diplomatic visit.
The top US military officer was greeted with a welcoming ceremony by his Chinese counterpart, General Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department under China’s Central Military Commission.
While in Beijing, Dunford will hold talks with Chinese officials about US-China military cooperation and Korean Peninsula tensions.
This is General Dunford’s first visit to China as the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he said Washington D.C. and Beijing have a lot of difficult issues to discuss.
“I think these few days will be an opportunity to build on the dialogue we had back in Washington. I think here, we have to be honest — we have many, many difficult issues where we don’t necessarily share the same perspective,” he said.
Dunford said his primary objective in visiting China is to develop military-to-military relations, to mitigate the risk of miscalculation in the region, and to seek cooperation where opportunities exist. His visit is also in support of the US’ diplomatic and economic campaign to deter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
US defense officials said success in that campaign would mean a clear commitment to denuclearization and stopping missile tests.
General Fang Fenghui said the talks will help create a mechanism for improving communication between China and the US.
“I believe that through your visit, we will be able to implement a consensus, made by the presidents of China and the US, to help you know more about our military and to promote military cooperation between our two countries,” Fang said.
To consummate Tuesday’s meeting, the two sides signed a document on establishing a dialogue mechanism between the two militaries.
Over the next few days, the US delegation will observe Chinese military exercises in the northeastern city of Shenyang, and hold talks with high-level Chinese military officials.
