The move is a setback for efforts to promote better understanding and greater co-operation between the US military and China's People's Liberation Army.
Exchanges have increased markedly over the past few years, but the Pentagon said on Monday that Beijing had cancelled or postponed some meetings following the announcement of what will be the biggest arms package for Taiwan in 15 years.
State media yesterday quoted the defence ministry as saying China had made “positive efforts” to strengthen military-to-military exchanges, but that the US arms package had “seriously damaged China's national security” and “poisoned the atmosphere” for such contacts. “The US bears all the responsibility for the current situation in Sino-US military relations,” the defence ministry said, adding that China demanded an immediate cancellation of the arms sale and the cutting of US defence links with Taiwan.