US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will head to China in early January in a sign of easing strains between the Pacific powers, and also visit ally Japan, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
The Pentagon said Gates will travel to China from January 9 to 12, one year after Beijing snapped off military relations with Washington in protest against a multibillion-dollar US arms package for rival Taiwan.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that Gates would work to build a military relationship with China "that is confident in tone, cooperative in nature and comprehensive in scope."
Gates will look to "extend upon those areas where we can cooperate" with China's military and promote dialogue aimed at improving "mutual understanding and reducing the risk of miscalculation," Morrell told reporters.
Gates will visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, Morrell said. The two nations have already resumed low-level military contacts at a technical level.
Gates had sought to visit in June during a regional tour but China rebuffed him. Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military officer, said earlier this month that Gates would travel to China in January.
The visit has been keenly sought by President Barack Obama's administration, which considers the military to be the most hesitant about the United States among China's major institutions.
Gates' talks will likely focus on tensions in the Korean peninsula, which have abated in recent days. China is the main ally of North Korea.
The Pentagon said that Gates will head on January 13-14 to Japan — a close ally which is home to nearly 50,000 US troops — for talks with Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa.
Gates will "discuss recent security developments in the region and the further development of our long-term agenda for strengthening and deepening our bilateral alliance," Morrell said.
Japan last week announced a shift to upgrade its defenses in the south as it aired concern about China's fast-growing military as well as the threat from North Korea.
The usually rock-solid alliance between the United States and Japan has experienced difficulties since last year, when a new government in Tokyo tried to renegotiate a deal on an unpopular US base.
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