By Prensa Latina
Beijing : China and the US will install a direct military telephone line for special communications, namely for emergency situations, to be operational in March.
Xinghua news agency, that quotes Defense Ministry officials, said the accord resulted from 48 h meeting between Mj. Gen. Qian Lihua and US Assistant Defense Secretary Charles Ray.
US diplomatic source said the phone line, also boosted by the November 2007 visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will be operational in March.
It is considered a huge step ahead in bilateral military communications linking both sides of the Pacific and a means to prevent miscalculation.
General Qian, director of the Defense Ministry Foreign Affair Office, said during the talks that the US must stop selling weapons to Taiwan and be cautious with Taiwan’s secessionist maneuvers.