Sino-US defense policy talks set for next week

Defense officials from China and the United States will meet in Washington DC next week for policy talks, the Pentagon said late on Thursday.

The talks follow speculation that Washington will temporarily halt military exchanges with China for fear of exposing critical elements of its strategy.

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Pool said the US delegation to next week's talks will include representatives from the Joint Staff, US Pacific Command, the State Department and the National Security Council, while the Chinese delegation will include representatives of the Ministry of National Defense and other military bodies.