US Defence Secretary William Cohen has said military contacts between the United States and China are back on track.

He was speaking after what he called "very cordial" talks in Washington with the deputy chief of staff of the Chinese army, General Xiong Guangkai.

"I certainly think it was a very good meeting, and I think we are on track to getting military-to-military relations back at a normal state of affairs," Mr Cohen told a news conference afterwards.

He said that he had accepted an invitation to visit China which was expected to take place around April.

A scheduled visit last year was cancelled when China broke off military contacts after the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

The BBC's Paul Reynolds in Washington says it appears that the cautious and often edgy relationship between China and the US is being mended.

Differences

However, the American under-secretary for defence policy, Walter Slocombe, told reporters that during the talks there were clear statements of differing views on a number of issues.

These included Chinese opposition to an American plan to develop an anti-missile system, which could in theory be used to defend Taiwan.

"They made it clear they do not agree with our going forward with the national missile defence," he said.

But Mr Slocombe stressed that the US did not seek confrontation with China.

"We have strong differences of view with the government of China on some important issues, and we will protect our interests, but we do not regard China as an enemy."

American and Nato officials said the Belgrade bombing was an accident, but China alleged it was intentional.

The incident sparked major anti-US demonstrations in China and the stoning of the US Embassy in Beijing.