Gates in China to shore up uneasy military ties

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into China on Sunday for a visit aimed at improving uneasy military ties between Beijing and Washington, suspended a year ago over US arms sales to Taiwan.The visit by Gates, who was to begin his formal meetings on Monday, comes just 10 days before a state visit to Washington by Chinese President Hu Jintao and both sides are keen to show progress in military relations.Gates will visit Japan and South Korea later in the week.

The United States is not looking to "hold China down" but wants to forge a stronger dialogue with Beijing's expanding military, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.Speaking to reporters aboard his plane en route to Singapore, Gates said he was encouraged by recent signs of progress in security ties with China even amid a military buildup."We are not trying to hold China down. China has been a great power for thousands of years. It is a global power and will be a global power," said Gates.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday toured China's nuclear command centre to end what he called a "very successful" visit -- one upstaged by a bold display of Beijing's advanced weaponry.Gates got a rare look at the Second Artillery Corps headquarters outside Beijing, which oversees nuclear and missile forces -- a stop meant to underscore China's readiness to recast uneasy military ties.The Pentagon chief said he had "very candid conversations" during his tour of the facility in Qinghe and spoke to Chinese officers about nuclear strategy.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday toured China's nuclear command centre to end what he called a "very successful" visit -- one upstaged by a bold display of Beijing's advanced weaponry.Gates got a rare look at the Second Artillery Corps headquarters outside Beijing, which oversees nuclear and missile forces -- a stop meant to underscore China's readiness to recast uneasy military ties.The Pentagon chief said he had "very candid conversations" during his tour of the facility in Qinghe and spoke to Chinese officers about nuclear strategy.

The United States is not looking to "hold China down" but wants to forge a stronger dialogue with Beijing's expanding military, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.Speaking to reporters aboard his plane en route to Singapore, Gates said he was encouraged by recent signs of progress in security ties with China even amid a military buildup."We are not trying to hold China down. China has been a great power for thousands of years. It is a global power and will be a global power," he said.

Since November, a Weibo-account strangely named "Study Xi Fan Group" has been revealing a lot about Chinese President Xi Jinping's life. Way too much about his life to be normal, to be honest — especially for Chinese leaders who traditionally like to keep information about them in the public domain to a minimum.

China's Changan Automobile Group announced Tuesday it is to open a research and development centre in the US motor city of Detroit, state media reported.Changan will be the first Chinese carmaker to have a research base on US soil, Xinhua news agency said.The announcement came as Beijing and Washington signed trade deals worth $45 billion dollars during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States.

Chinese President Hu Jintao headed to the United States on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported, for a visit that comes at a time of tension and stress in Sino-US relations.Hu was to begin the visit in Washington with a private dinner on Tuesday evening in the White House residence, hosted by US President Barack Obama and to be attended by only a few senior officials from each side.