"We are here for the eighth defense consultative talks. I am told eight is a lucky number. In any case, this forum is one of the most important forums for the interactions between the two defense ministries," said Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman, who is leading the U.S. delegation.

    As head of the Chinese delegation, Zhang Qinsheng, assistant chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA), said he believed "the one-day consultations would be very successful".

    "I can ensure you that our commitment to this forum at the undersecretary level continues because of the importance of this forum," Rodman said in the opening address.

    As part of the growing China-U.S. military ties, Thursday's consultations came a month after a visit to China by Commander of U.S. Forces in Pacific William Fallon.

    During his visit, Fallon invited a Chinese delegation to observe a U.S. military exercise in Guam in June, the first invitation of this kind extended by the United States.

    "This is a positive signal worthy of attention in China-U.S. military relations," said Yang Yi, Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, National Defense University of China.

    "The improvement of our military-to-military relations is necessary because it is an important part of improvement of our overall relations," Rodman said at the beginning of Thursday's consultations.

    The U.S. delegation includes representatives from the Defense Department, the Joint Staff, the Pacific Command and the State Department.

    "Our delegation is a large one because we have a lot of useful businesses we can do together," Rodman said, stressing this year is "a good year in fulfilling the commitment of leaders of the two countries".

    The annual consultations began in 1997, following an agreement between then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his U.S. counterpart Bill Clinton. Enditem