"China and the United States have a rich history together, and I greatly enjoyed my visit to Beijing." said the US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in his Open Letter to the People of Beijing.

According to a copy of the letter obtained from the US embassy in Beijing on Friday, Rumsfeld expressed his thanks to the people of Beijing for their kind hospitality during his recent visit to China.

At the invitation of Chinese Minister of National Defense Cao Gangchuan, Rumsfeld paid a three-day visit to China from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, during which, he conferred with Chinese President Hu Jintao and senior leaders of the Chinese government.

"We discussed the impressive economic progress China has made in recent years and the emergence of China on the world scene. We also talked about the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the success of China's second manned space flight for which I offer my congratulations," said Rumsfeld in his open letter.

He also expressed his commendation to Beijing and the people here. In the open letter Rumsfeld said Beijing, the "vibrant and historic city", provided an impressive venue to the discussions.

"I also had an opportunity to tour the beautiful Summer Palace which provided a glimpse of the extraordinary history of your country. I was most impressed to see literally hundreds of visitors from your country, but also from nations all across the globe, including the United States." Rumsfeld said.

It was the first time Rumsfeld visited China as US Defense Secretary since his taking up the post in January 2001. This visit could be interpreted as a sign of the gradual normalization of Sino-US military relations, which is conducive to the further improvement of the ties between the two countries and two armies.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2005)