In rare public comments, the Chinese military chief of staff told ABC News today that the United States should not be concerned about China's rapid military buildup, saying "there is no need to fear us."

"It is impossible for the U.S. to be afraid of our military development," said Gen. Chen Bingde, the chief of the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army.

"If you say the U.S. is afraid of our military development, then it means the U.S. does not have enough guts, it's easily scared, " he said. "We are not that capable. There is no need to fear us."

Chen's comments came shortly before he met with Adm. Timothy Keating, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific. Keating is in China for five days of talks with Chinese military leaders in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Keating is visiting China to try to develop ties with the Chinese military. It's part of an effort, he says, to reduce the chances of potentially dangerous misunderstandings between the two biggest military powers in the Pacific.

"I want to develop a better sense of who they are and have them develop a better sense of who I am and who we are," Keating told ABC News.

Keating's visit is the first high-level meeting of American and Chinese military officials since China denied the USS Kitty Hawk access to Hong Kong for a scheduled port call. The United States formally protested China's actions toward the Kitty Hawk and two other smaller U.S. Navy ships that were denied safe harbor in Hong Kong during a storm in November.

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