Beijing: Days before a "milestone" meeting between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his US counterpart George W Bush, Beijing said that it was for boosting military ties with Washington for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.

China supports enhanced relations with the US for promotion on mutual understanding and trust, which in turn could result in peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large, Director General of the Department of North American Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry He Yafei told reporters on October 16.

"The military-to-military relationship is a very important component of the overall bilateral relationship. We should encourage such visits to increase understanding between the two militaries," the official said.

However, representatives of China's People's Liberation Army will not be travelling with Jiang to the US, he said.

Both countries would discuss a range of bilateral, global and regional issues of strategic concern including Iraq and take concrete steps to cement bilateral ties when its leaders meet on October 25, He said.

Jiang will visit Chicago and Houston during his tour from October 22 to 25, apart from meeting Bush at his ranch at Crawford, Texas, he said, releasing Jiang's itinerary in the US for the first time.

"We are of the view that the upcoming summit would be a milestone in the bilateral relationship that would have a huge impact on the future development of China-US relations and also in international relations as a whole," he said.

PTI