Senior U.S. military officers visiting China are conducive to mutual understanding and trust of the two militaries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Thursday in Beijing.

Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Gary Roughead is paying a visit to China from November 12 to 18 at the invitation of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

"We believe his visit and other senior U.S. military officers' visits to China are conducive to mutual understanding and trust and will push forward relations between the two militaries," Jiang told a regular press conference.

During his week-long visit, Roughead are scheduled to meet with senior Chinese military officers and government officials including Ge Zhenfeng, deputy chief of the PLA General Staff; Wu Shengli, Chinese PLA Navy commander; and He Yafei, assistant to Chinese Foreign Minister.

Besides Beijing, he also visited Shanghai and Zhanjiang in south China's Guangdong Province.

He welcomed in Zhanjiang the USS Juneau (LPD 10), which will participate in a search-and-rescue exercise with the Chinese Navy on November 19.

The event is the second phase of the first-ever joint Sino-American search-and-rescue exercises, agreed on by Chinese and U.S. military leaders.

"These exercises will help improve mutual understanding and build trust between the two militaries, particularly the two navies," Jiang said.

Source: Xinhua