Vice chairman of Central Military Commission visits US

Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), left Beijing for the United States last Sunday, the latest sign of improving military relations between the two countries. Guo ranks second to Chairman Hu Jintao in the 11-member CMC, China's top military authority.

Guo was invited by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and is the highest military officer to visit the United States since 2001. China-US military relations were broken off in 2001 after a Chinese fighter aircraft was damaged by an American surveillance plane over the South China Sea.

During Guo's weeklong visit, he is scheduled to hold talks with Rumsfeld on a wide range of issues, including international and regional security as well as China-US military ties. He will also meet with other members of the US Administration and visit military bases and institutions.