US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey's ongoing visit to China, which began on Sunday, is widely perceived as lifting the curtain on this year's military-to-military exchanges between China and the United States. It is good to see the two countries are moving to establish constructive interaction between the two militaries.

Dempsey is the third high-ranking US official to visit Beijing in about a month following visits by US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry. These high-level contacts will guarantee that both countries receive updates on each other's priorities and intentions, as well as concerns, which is conducive to avoiding misjudgments and keeping relations on the right track.

In his meeting with Dempsey on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping spoke highly of the progress in bilateral military exchanges since his visit to the US in February 2012 as vice-president.