PLA wants to join hands with US for better bilateral ties, retired Chinese general says

The People's Liberation Army wishes to become "friend and partner" of the United States' military so that the two sides can join hands to contribute to the stability and improvement in the bilateral relations, said a senior Chinese military strategist.

Retired Lieutenant General He Lei, former vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Science, said that if the Chinese military were to send a message to the US military via the ongoing 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which opened in the Chinese national capital on Thursday, it would be that the two powers and two militaries shall be friends and partners and shall cooperate to strive for a win-win relationship.

"By achieving this, the two militaries will be able to help to stabilize and advance the two nations' relations and make sure that such relations will always move forward on the right track," he told reporters on the sidelines of the forum, which is organized by the China Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.

The retired officer, who often speaks for China at international conferences, said that China hopes the US could contribute to the global peace, security and stability, rather than creating geopolitical blocs and instigating tensions and confrontations.

He said that the US has sent a senior Pentagon official to the forum and the US representative will be welcomed in Beijing.

"The official is more senior than his US peer who attended the Xiangshan Forum last year, which, as I understand it, shows the US is willing to communicate with China and know more about China and the Chinese military. We appreciate that stance and regard it a good development," he noted.

The general added this will help to materialize consensuses made by top leaders of the two countries, strengthen strategic communications between senior commanders, facilitate risk management and avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment.

"I personally suggest that the US representative should take advantage of this forum to hear more voices from the Chinese government, the Chinese armed forces as well as most nations of the world, and should take those voices back to leaders of the Pentagon and White House," the high-ranking researcher said.

Themed "Promoting Peace for a Shared Future", the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum consists of four plenary sessions, eight special workshops, as well as several feature activities.