Military leaders from the United States and China discussed strengthening cooperation and how to manage their differences during a meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, and his delegation were greeted by US Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

At 10 am, Fan's motorcade arrived at the Pentagon gates facing the Potomac River.

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter welcomes Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, to the Pentagon in Washington on Thursday. Gary Cameron / Reuters

The two shook hands before walking up the steps. They faced and saluted an honor cordon of more than 50 people, including a military band that played the two nations' national anthems.

The pair then met in the Pentagon for several hours of talks.

According to a media release issued by Fan's delegation, he said his visit was aimed at implementing the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders to push for a deepened and stable development of the bilateral military-to-military relationship.

Fan was referring to the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama to build a new type of major-country relationship.

The release quoted Fan as saying that the Chinese and US militaries should strive to build a new type of military relationship characterized by mutual trust, cooperation, non-confrontation and sustainability.

He hoped the two countries would make concerted efforts to strengthen exchanges, promote strategic mutual trust, increase practical cooperation and effectively manage and control crises and risks.

Fan also said the Nansha Islands and neighboring waters have been an integral part of Chinese territory since ancient times.

Construction on some reefs and islets there and maintenance work are aimed mainly at improving the living and working conditions of people on the islands as well as better protecting China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Fan said.

"There is nothing wrong with China deploying military facilities on its territory," Fan said. He hoped the US would maintain its stance of not taking sides on the issue and also reduce its air and naval activities in the South China Sea.

A Pentagon media release issued after the meeting said Carter and Fan exchanged views on key issues of mutual concern, including military-to-military relations, regional security and maritime affairs, including land reclamation in the South China Sea.

Carter stressed his commitment to developing a sustained and substantive US-China military-to-military relationship, according to the release.

It said Carter reiterated US concerns about the South China Sea and called on China and all claimants to halt land reclamation, cease further militarization and pursue a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in accordance with international law.

Fan is the most senior Chinese military leader to visit Washington since President Xi Jinping assumed the top leadership position in late 2012.

On Friday, he met with US veterans who fought in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and their families .

Fan presented a picture book, Let History Bear Witness to Our Friendship, to J. V. "Jay" Vinyard, a US World War II veteran who fought in the China-India theater as a pilot.

Fan and other senior PLA officers started their US trip on Monday with visits to a Boeing factory in Seattle, the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in San Diego and an army base at Fort Hood, Texas, before heading to Washington.

Thursday's high-level meeting drew special attention because it came just two weeks after Carter publicly criticized China for its construction work on reefs and islets in the South China Sea.

Beijing has described the work as totally within its sovereign rights, while Washington officials have accused China of being provocative and changing the status quo in the region.

Cheng Li, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, said he believed Fan's visit at such a critical time showed the importance both countries placed on the relationship.

He said both nations' leaders have repeatedly emphasized that military-to-military exchanges are an important part of bilateral relationship.

Shi Yinhong, director of the Center of US Studies at Renmin University, said that as the atmosphere between Beijing and Washington is "not so good", the two countries were expected to stick to their position on the South China Sea at Thursday's meeting.

He said the visit would also help to build a favorable environment for the seventh round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue scheduled to be held in Washington this month and for President Xi's visit to the US in September.

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