PLA official low-key visit to U.S. draws attentions

At the invitation of the U.S. military, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) delegation led by Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA Cai Yingting left China Monday on an official visit for the United States.

Huffington Post commented that it was only three months later that senior Chinese military officials visited the United States again as Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visited the United States in May 2012.

Both China and the United States did not announce the PLA delegation to U.S. in advance. Until the next day, Xinhua released a news read that "a PLA delegation led by Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA Cai Yingting will pay a visit to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. military. Cai's entourage includes chief military leaders of Beijing, Jinan and Guangzhou Military Area Command". According to the US Department of Defense, the PLA delegation will visit the US army base in Fort Hood, Texas, and other bases. No more details were released.

In the last 10 years, military exchange visits between China and the United States have been carried out each year except when US announced arms sales to Taiwan. And the exchange visits are even more frequent recently, Huffington Post reported.

United Press International comments that the US military has long been eager to keep intimate touch with Chinese military. First, it may avoid miscalculations which could result in serious consequences. Second, military exchanges between China and the US are the precondition and guarantee of "transparency" as the US concerns Chinese military "lacking of transparency".

Despite the US's eagerness to keep intimate touch with China, both sides are discreet towards the military exchanges.

According to Washington Post report, the Secretary of Defence has only visited PLA Second Artillery Corps twice, and commander of the PLA's Second Artillery Force has yet to make a visit to the US.

A clause in the 2011 US spending bill signed into law in May has partially banned scientific exchanges between China and the US. Official of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center did not make a visit to US manned space launch site because of lawmakers' objection in the US. "The US had close cooperation with the Soviet Union on spacecraft docking even in cold war. Therefore, the ban of scientific exchanges would undermine both countries' interests."Atlantic Monthly commented.

(Source: SINA English)