US: Military ties with China important

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Admiral Gary Roughead, US Chief of Naval Operations, said, "The advent of an aircraft carrier at the port of PLA Navy, to me, really doesn't change the nature of our operations at all. We have been operating aircraft carriers ourselves, and the real issue is how are those aircraft carriers used, and what is the intent of that capability."

The answer to dealing with any friction caused by the issue lies in one word -- "communications".

Roughead also said, "There should be clear communications with regard to what the intentions of that capability are, and that's why visits like mine, and relationships like mine with Admiral Wu, are important."

One day ahead of the news briefing, the visiting Roughead held a closed door meeting with Chinese PLA Navy Commander Admiral Wu Shengli. Though not much was revealed from their one-on-one talks, one thing is for sure: the fight against piracy.

Roughead said, "That is obviously very much in the forefront of both our minds, and it is also the first time we have operated together that far from China, and with a common real world mission of counter-piracy."

Roughead believes military-to-military contacts are an important part of the broader relationship between US and China.

Editor:Liu Anqi