U.S., China Representatives Meet at Pentagon

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2012 – Officials from the United States and China met today at the Pentagon for the 13th annual Defense Consultative Talks, according to a Defense Department-issued statement.

James N. Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy, and Lt. Gen. Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army general staff, led their respective country's delegations, the statement said.

The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Joint Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, the National Security Staff and the State Department, the statement said.

Both Miller and Qi emphasized the positive momentum of the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship this year and urged further cooperation in 2013, according to the statement. Miller and Qi discussed maritime security in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and stressed the importance of avoiding miscalculation in the areas of cyber, space, nuclear policy and missile defense.

Miller stressed that North Korea's launch was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, and a provocative act that threatens regional peace and security, according to the statement.

Miller urged China to work with the United States and the international community, the statement said, to insist that North Korea live up to its commitments, adhere to its international obligations, and deal peacefully with its neighbors.

The two officials also discussed the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and the security situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the statement said.