U.S. Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy, prepares for a bilateral meeting with Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the People's Liberation Army's deputy chief of staff, at the Bayi Building in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. Chinese and U.S. defense officials met in Beijing on Wednesday for their highest-level contacts since recent frictions over arms sales to Taiwan and plans to strengthen the American military presence in the Pacific. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool)