Air Force Chief of Staff Begins Visit to China

Air Force News Service

BEIJING, Sept. 26, 2013 – Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and other Air Force leaders arrived here Sept. 24 as part of a weeklong visit to China.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III meets with People's Liberation Army Air Force Commander Gen. Ma Xiaotian in Beijing, Sept. 25, 2013. U.S. Air Force photo by Scott M. Ash    (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Accompanied by Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody, Welsh is the first Air Force chief of staff in 15 years to visit China.

Welsh met yesterday with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Ma Xiaotian and other Chinese military officials as part of his first full day in the country, and meets today with Gen. Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the trip recently as one of several reciprocal visits by senior U.S. and Chinese military leaders this year and next.

"The China-U.S. relationship is important for stability and security in the Asia-Pacific [region], and achieving security and prosperity for our two nations in the 21st century,” Hagel said. “A sustained, substantive military-to-military relationship is an important pillar for this strong bilateral relationship."