A Chinese military delegation headed by the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Fan Changlong, is scheduled to arrive in the United States this week for a meeting with the American Defense Secretary. The delegation is expected to also tour the Pentagon and other US military installations including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego, California. 

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Aside from Fan, the other members of the delegations are Admiral Sun Jianguo, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Vice Chief of general staff,  Wu Changde, the Vice Chief of PLA's political branch, as well as Beijing Military Region Commander Song Puxuan, Eastday.com reported.

When the delegates arrive on Thursday, June 11, they are scheduled for talks with American Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon.  Other stops includes a Boeing manufacturing plant in Seattle, Washington as well as a tour of Fort Hood, Texas and two other military installations.

Value Walk reported that visits between military leaders of the two countries have been going for several years now.  Ideally, both sides are expected to take the opportunity to foster trust and cooperation.The Chinese military visit comes at a time of growing tensions between both countries. 

China is rapidly building up its military forces thanks to the country's burgeoning economy.  The Chinese military has been embarking on a series of island fortifications in the Pacific and this has caused grave concerns in the international community, particularly among South East Asian countries.

Another sore point in the US-China relations are the continuing allegations of cyber attacks launched by Chinese hackers against American government agencies and business companies.  The Chinese government has denied these allegations and , in turn, claims that China has been subjected to cyber attacks.

The latest cyber attack was made against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) where millions of government personnel data have been hacked allegedly by Chinese hackers.

Hong Lei, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that it is "irresponsible" for the U.S. to make such claims, according to VOA News.    

As it stands, the increasing Chinese military presence in the Pacific region and allegations of cyber attacks have not helped improve relations between the United States and China.

TagsChina military, China military buildup, china US dispute, Cyber Attack, OPM cyber attack, US cyber attack, Chinese hackers, Chinese Official Visits US, US-China relations, Office of Personnel Management (OPM)