Xi, Obama agree to boost military ties

Beijing and Washington have agreed to build a notification system on major military actions between the two countries "as soon as possible" after a meeting of the two nation's presidents ahead of a nuclear security summit.  [Special coverage]

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama met on Monday in The Hague, Netherlands, for more than 90 minutes before they attended the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit which gathered more than 50 world leaders and heads of international organizations.

According to a press briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, the two sides had been frank and constructive in their talks.

Among the list of 10 agreements reached by the two leaders, the two countries reported progress made in military-to-military ties, and agreed to continue enhancing dialogue and exchanges between their respective armed forces.

"The two sides agree to establish as soon as possible an information notification system on the two militaries' major military actions, and formulate the rules of safe maritime and airspace military actions in international waters," Qin said, without providing more details.

According to a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after the talks, Xi told Obama in the meeting that he hoped China and the US could deepen their military cooperation and conduct more joint exercises to help "prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations".

China and the US have been engaged in a series of military exchanges in recent years. Experts have said military-to-military ties were once the most vulnerable aspect of fluctuating China-US relations.

In talks on Monday, Xi also told Obama the US should adopt a "fair and objective" attitude on the East and South China Seas, where China is involved in a series of territorial disputes with some of its neighbors.

"On the issues of the East and South China Sea, the US side ought to adopt an objective and fair attitude, distinguish right from wrong, and take more actions that are conducive to push for an appropriate resolution and easing the situation," Xi was quoted as saying in the press release.

Some of China's neighbors have occupied disputed waters and islands during recent decades of years. While China has stressed the need to resolve the dispute through bilateral negotiations, some countries have sought support from the US.

China has repeatedly urged the US not to take sides in these disputes.