Forging relations between the two countries' armed forces was crucial to preventing misunderstandings, Gates, who recently saw a planned visit to China cancelled, told a news conference during a trip to South Korea.

The defense secretary acknowledged he was "disappointed" at China's rebuff of his scheduled visit in June, but was willing to move forward.

"I remain open to rebuilding and strengthening military-to-military dialogue between the United States and China because I think it can play an important role in preventing miscalculations and misunderstandings," he said.

"We are obviously concerned by some of the things China has said and some of the things China is doing in the military arena. They are worrying," he said.

Washington's misgivings about Beijing's military build-up underscored the need to press ahead with a regular dialogue, he said.

Gates, however, praised China for backing a UN statement condemning the sinking of a South Korean warship.

The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, also called for resuming a dialogue with China's armed forces during a visit to South Korea.

Speaking to US troops, Mullen said China's spending on high-tech weaponry, including anti-ship missiles, had raised questions about its intentions.

But he said the absence of a regular dialogue with China's military made it difficult to address those concerns.

"It's really important that we know each other in ways that we just don't right now because our engagement with them is very much off-and-on," Mullen told troops from the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Red Cloud.

He said every country had a right to bolster its armed forces.

"But it's the specifics of some of it, that you know I'd like to have a conversation to see where they're going. Right now I can't do that."

China suspended military relations in January after Washington unveiled a 6.4-billion-dollar arms package for Taiwan.

China opposes any arms sales to Taiwan, which it regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification. The two sides have been split since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Mullen said China's military had made "a fairly significant investment in high-end equipment" including satellites, aircraft, anti-ship missiles and a planned aircraft carrier group.

He called the move a "strategic shift, where they are moving from a focus on their ground forces to focus on their navy, and their maritime forces and their air force".

US officials worry that China's more assertive stance in the Pacific Ocean and its anti-ship missile arsenal, capable of striking aircraft carriers, could undercut America's long-dominant naval power in the region.

The United States and China have also disagreed over plans for joint US-South Korean naval exercises, which are due to start on Sunday in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

China repeated its concerns on Wednesday, saying the drills could raise tensions in the region. But Gates and Mullen said the large-scale exercises demonstrated resolve and unity in the face of the threat posed by North Korea.

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