The current visit to the US by Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, indicates that Sino-US military relations have entered a new stage, analysts and army officers have said.

	General Guo Boxiong shakes hands with US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld outside Pentagon yesterday. [Reuters]

General Guo arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday. During the one-week visit, Guo is expected to visit the Pentagon and military institutions.

Guo is paying a return visit after US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Beijing last October.

Guo is the highest-ranking Chinese military officer to visit the United States since 2001, when the two countries cut their military ties after a Chinese fighter jet was hit by a US spy plane over the South China Sea, sending bilateral ties to a low point, noted Zhu Chenghu, a professor with the National Defence University.

"The visit shows Beijing is willing to improve military relations with Washington, which serves the fundamental interests of both sides," he told China Daily yesterday.

Guo's visit comes at a time when the international community is trying to bring Pyongyang back to nuclear disarmament talks. Zhu said Guo is expected to discuss security issues in Northeast Asia with his US counterparts, especially the missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea two weeks ago.

Qian Lihua, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of the Ministry of National Defence, said the visit is the most important event in the People's Liberation Army's foreign relations this year.

It will help achieve the consensus reached by the two heads of state on developing military relations, Qian said at the weekend on the eve of Guo's visit.

In a written statement released upon his arrival, Guo said that China and the United States share extensive mutual strategic interests and a good basis for co-operation. Calling the two countries not only stakeholders but also constructive partners, Guo said a better Sino-US relationship would be strategically important in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in the rest of the world.

He stressed that China-US relations are progressing well after President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart George W. Bush reached consensus on promoting constructive co-operation in all areas during Hu's US visit in April.

According to Guo, military relations between the two countries are showing favourable momentum after the two presidents agreed to further expand exchanges between armed forces.

For the first time ever, a Chinese delegation was invited last month to observe one of the largest US military exercises in decades off Guam in the Pacific.