Chinese, US militaries renew rapport

Top military officials from China and the United States agreed to deepen exchanges and cooperation, manage risks and differences and make military-to-military relations a stabilizing factor in bilateral ties, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the ministry's spokesman, spoke at a news conference after State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on the sidelines of the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

It was the first official meeting between the two senior military officials since Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, took over leadership of the Pentagon in January. Wu said the talk, while brief, was "friendly and constructive".