US Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Beijing to reinstate military ties with Washington that lapsed earlier this year over arms sales to Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported. Gates was in Asia for the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue but the Chinese government didn’t extend an invitation to Beijing during his trip. The defense secretary warned there is a “real cost” at not being able to talk with major military powers, saying it helps “prevent miscalculation and misunderstandings.” The US is keen to make progress with China on issues such as North Korea. Gates said that the protest by China’s military over US arms sales to Taiwan makes little sense, in part because these deals have gone on for decades. Chinese Major General Ma Xiaotian later said that the sales are “not something normal,” adding that “they have been interfering in US-China relations for 30 years.”
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