Beijing, Nov 21: China and the US will resume military exchanges and a us naval ship will dock at a Chinese port next week, the first such visit since military ties were
suspended following the mid-air collision of an American spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet last year.
The USS Paul F. Foster, a destroyer in the US seventh fleet operating in the western pacific, will make a port call in the eastern naval port of Qingdao, the US Embassy said here in a release.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan, while confirmed the resumption of bilateral military exchanges, did not provide more details of the port visit.
"The military exchanges between China and the US have been going on. It is two-way and mutually beneficial. It is helpful in improving the understanding between the two
militaries and enhancing the overall relations," he said at a
regular news conference here today.
Kong noted that the decision to normalise Sino-US bilateral ties was taken during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's summit with his American counterpart, George W Bush
when they met on October 25 in Crawford, Texas.
Sino-US military relations suffered a serious setback on April 1, 2001 after the mid-air collision over the south China Sea.
Beijing and Washington accused each other for the incident and China detained the 24-member crew for 11 days after the EP-3 made an emergency landing on Hainan Island.
Following this, the Pentagon suspended normal military-to-military exchanges with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Bureau Report
