Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and his US counterpart Mike Mullen review the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing on Monday, July 11, 2011.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

BEIJING - Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), held talks with his US counterpart Mike Mullen on Monday in Beijing.

"We discussed four major topics, including the South China Sea, the attitude of some US politicians toward China, cyber security and China's military development," Chen said after a close-door meeting with Mullen.

Both sides exchanged views on those issues in a candid manner, he added.

"It's fair to say that we found a lot of common ground while we do have different opinions on certain issues," Chen said.

Chen urged the two sides to implement the consensus reached by their heads of state to push forward the development of bilateral military relations.

Mullen, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Beijing Saturday night for a four-day visit to China. A welcoming ceremony was held earlier Monday morning ahead of his talks with Chen.

Mullen is making the visit at the invitation of Chen, as a reciprocal visit for Chen's trip in May to the United States.