A Chinese general has asked US defence secretary Chuck Hagel to better

A Chinese general has asked US defence secretary Chuck Hagel to better explain US military’s build up in Asian region after Mr. Hagel expressed concerns over cyber warfare involving China.

Hagel said that the US government is concerned about the threat of cyber intrusions, some which appeared to be associated with Chinese government and military. He was speaking at a high-profile security conference in Singapore in front of a Chinese delegation. cyber warfare has become a major area of concern for the US government after several intrusions were traced back to China.

In response to his comments, Major General Yao Yunzhu, director of the Center for China-America Defense Relations at the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Science asked Hagel to better explain the US’s government’s military buildup in Asia.

She said that the US government’s new focus on the Pacific is seen by many as its strategy to “counter China’s rising influence and to offset the increasing military capabilities of the Chinese PLA. However, China is not convinced.” She asked Hagel to explain how the can his government assure that the additional deployments are a part of the strategy to improve relations with China.

Hagel said, “That’s really the whole point behind closer military-to-military relationships. We don’t want miscalculations and misunderstandings and misinterpretations. And the only way you do that is you talk to each other.”

The exchange comes a week before meeting next week in California between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.