DHAKA: US defence secretary Leon Panetta will look for ways to deepen US military relations with China during a visit to Asia this week, even as he works to bolster US alliances in the region as part of a strategic shift that Beijing views with concern.
Panetta, who arrived in Tokyo on Sunday on his third trip to Asia since becoming defence secretary, will discuss the realignment of US military basing in Japan and expanding ballistic missile defence cooperation before heading to Beijing to try to deepen and broaden military-to-military ties.
He wraps up his visit with defence cooperation talks in New Zealand, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Senior US and Chinese defence officials have made an effort to push their military relationship forward since it resumed a year and a half ago after a bitter break over US arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province.
BDST: 1722 HRS, SEP 16, 2012
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor
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