China and the United States agreed Monday to open a direct
telephone line between the defense ministries of the two
countries.
Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and visiting US Secretary of
Defense Robert M. Gates made the announcement at a joint press
briefing after holding talks in Beijing Monday morning.
The Sino-US military hot line is the first of its kind that
China has ever established with another country at the defense
ministry level.
Discussions on setting up the military hot line have been going
on since Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush
agreed to advance bilateral military relations during their meeting
in April, 2006.
The opening of the military hot line will help enhance mutual
trust between the militaries and promote the development of
military-to-military relations between China and the US, said Tao
Wenzhao, researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences.
(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2007)
