China on Monday urged the United States to restrain from engaging in disputes over the South China Sea as the military chiefs of both countries met in Beijing to improve ties, according to dpa. Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, relayed the message to his US counterpart General Mike Mullen, the official Xinhua news agency said. "It is not a proper time for the United States to conduct military drills in the region with the Philippines and Vietnam," Chen said after the talks. He said the US side had pledged to not engage in the maritime disputes, "but its behavior has given some opposite signals."
