Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, met in Beijing Thursday with a delegation from the United States National Defense University Capstone Program, headed by Robert Sennewald, a retired general.  

Xiong and the visitors exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

The visitors arrived in Urumchi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Feb. 21. They had also visited the National Defense University and China Institute for International Strategic Studies.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2004)