Beijing, Muharram 12, 1433, Dec 7, 2011, SPA - China and the United States held annual defense consultations Wednesday. "The fact that the consultations took place as scheduled shows that both countries are being sincere about maintaining military exchanges," state media quoted Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff for China's People's Liberation Army, as saying at the start of the talks. "Hopefully both sides will make the best of this opportunity to expand common ground, keep risks under control and avoid misjudgment," Ma was quoted as saying. --SPA 12:05 LOCAL TIME 09:05 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/950189