Rice was satisfied with the progress in developing the bilateral military ties, while expressing the hope that the two militaries will strengthen communications and cooperation and strive to complete the consultations on signing the Code of Safe Conduct on Air Encounters.

Fan also held talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department on Friday. He already held talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon on Thursday.

In these meetings, the Chinese general exchanged views with his U.S. hosts on many issues of mutual concern, including the South China Sea, Taiwan, cyber security, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. He demanded the U.S. side speak and act cautiously on issues related to China's core interests or matters of great concern for China, handle these issues in a fair and objective manner, and avoid doing something that will damage the bilateral military ties and regional security and stability.

On Friday, Fan witnessed with U.S. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno the signing of the China-U.S. Army-to-Army Dialogue Mechanism at the National Defense University, which will open a new channel for leaders in the two armies "to raise and discuss issues of mutual concern such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response practices," according to the Pentagon.

Earlier in the morning, the general also met with Flying Tigers pilot J.V. Vinyard, and some former pilots' families to thank them for their contribution to and sacrifice for China in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression more than 70 years ago.

The high-level Chinese military delegation headed by Fan, which started its U.S. trip on Monday, has visited such places as a Boeing factory in Seattle, the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, and the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood, Texas and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.