“They clearly have the potential to put some of our capabilities at risk, and we have to pay attention to them. We have to respond appropriately with our own programs,” Gates told reporters as he traveled to Beijing for three days of talks with senior Chinese leaders…

“My hope is that through the strategic dialogue,” he said, “maybe the need for some of these capabilities is reduced.”

But there is little sign that China’s military leadership wants the kind of regular contacts that Pentagon officials have been seeking for years as a way of easing tension with China and its fast-modernizing military.