Panetta urges China to increase military ties to avoid confrontation

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta urged China on Tuesday to expand military relations with the United States to reduce the risk of a confrontation, even as the two powers grappled with a volatile territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

Panetta, on his first trip to China as defence secretary, acknowledged differences between the two countries over maritime security in East Asia, but said better ties would “advance peace and stability and prosperity in the entire Asia-Pacific region.”

Panetta and Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said they had candid discussions on the difficult issues confronting the two countries, including US arms sales to Taiwan, the shift in US strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific, cybersecurity and the territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

Panetta’s trip to Beijing for talks with senior Chinese military and government leaders has coincided with an eruption in tension over rival claims by Japan and China to a cluster of islands in the East China Sea.

Anti-Japan protests have flared across China in recent days, including attacks on Japanese cars and restaurants.

“With respect to these current tensions, we are urging calm and restraint by all sides and encourage them to maintain open channels of communication in order to resolve these disputes diplomatically and peacefully,” Panetta said.