Senior Colonel Zhou Bo welcomes US defense chief to China

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01:37

Since Donald Trump became US president, defense ties between China and the US have taken a beating. The Pentagon last month withdrew its invitation for China to participate in this year's iteration of the Rim of the Pacific exercise. Washington has tried to shore up military ties with Taiwan. The US has also strengthened the so-called "Freedom of Navigation" operations in the South China Sea.

CGTN's World Insight invited Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, the director of the Security Cooperation Center of China's Central Military Commission International Military Cooperation Office, to share his opinions on the political atmosphere now, and the trajectory of relations between the countries.

"I think there is a danger," said Zhou, that "the trade issue could cast a long shadow over the whole bilateral relationship."

But, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, now on his first visit to China, gave new positive elements to the relationship between the two countries and two militaries.

"I remember clearly when I was at Shangri-La Dialogue that he mentioned 'China's militarization of the South China Sea,' but he also mentioned that the two militaries should cooperate wherever possible, and he even describes a role in the American-prescribed Indo-Pacific concept, so he talks about the two sides of the same coin," said Zhou.

Zhou added that even though the Pentagon withdrew its invitation for China to participate in this year's iteration of the Rim of the Pacific exercise, at the Shangri-La Dialogue, China also expressed its sincere invitation to Mattis to visit China.

"That shows our self-confidence and our generosity," said Zhou.

World Insight with Tian Wei is a 45-minute global affairs and debate show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 10:15 p.m. BJT (1415GMT), with rebroadcasts at 4:15 a.m. BJT (2015GMT).