China and the United States officially signed in Shanghai on Friday an agreement on setting up a military hotline between the two defense departments, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

The agreement was signed at the conclusion of a working meeting between the two defense departments which began on Thursday.

The Ministry said the two sides also signed an agreement on launching military archives cooperation in order to find U.S. military personnel missing in the Korean War, but did not disclose the details of both agreements.

The hotline is aimed at providing instant contact between Chinese and U.S. defense and military leaders on major issues of common concern, especially in emergencies, according to officials with the Defense Ministry.

Since Chinese President Hu Jintao and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush agreed to advance bilateral military relations during their meeting in April 2006, discussions have been going on on setting up a military hotline.

The two sides reached consensus to set up the hotline during U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' visit to China in November 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency February 29, 2008)