Senior military officials meet U.S. army chief

BEIJING, Feb. 21-- Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong on Friday met with Ray Odierno, the visiting U.S. Army chief of staff.

The armed forces of China and the United States have witnessed progress on high-level exchanges and joint exercises over the past year, Fan said.

During the meeting, Fan expressed China's serious stance on the planned meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama on Friday in the White House.

Odierno vowed to push forward military ties with China, saying stronger bilateral military relations will safeguard peace and stability of the Asian-Pacific region and the world.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues concerning China-Japan relations, the Korean Peninsula situation and Taiwan.

Before the meeting, Odierno met with Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army Fang Fenghui.