Hagel-China Meeting

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is slated to host China's defense minister, Gen. Chang Wanquan, at the Pentagon on Monday, Aug. 19, a Pentagon spokesman told InsideDefense.com. The Defense Department announced in July that such a visit would happen in August, but no dates for the visit were given at the time. DOD has not yet released details about plans for Chang's visit, but is expected to do so soon. A spokesman for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey confirmed Dempsey is scheduled to participate in the meeting and working lunch with Chang that Hagel will host.

Hagel met last month at the Pentagon with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi. At the time, Hagel expressed DOD's support for the bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the related Strategic Security Dialogue and Cyber Working Group. In a June 1 speech in Singapore, Hagel singled out the Chinese government for intrusions into U.S. networks. "The United States has expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military," he said. "As the world's two largest economies, the U.S. and China have many areas of common interest and concern, and the establishment of a cyber working group is a positive step in fostering U.S.-China dialogue on cyber. We are determined to work more vigorously with China and other partners to establish international norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace."