China said on Tuesday it would hold military talks with the United States aimed at avoiding incidents such as the April mid-air collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter.

Military dialogue between China and the US was frozen after the collision and the announcement was a further sign that relations are improving ahead of a China-US summit next month.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said the talks on military maritime security would be held on the US Pacific territory of Guam from September 13-14.

Asked whether the spy plane incident would be discussed, Mr Zhu said: "In order to avoid similar mid-air collisions we will enhance such military maritime security talks".

The US EP-3E Aries II spy plane landed on Hainan Island on April 1 after bumping into a Chinese fighter, whose pilot was killed.

Mr Zhu also said China was ready to hold "serious" talks with the United States over US plans for a missile defence system, but he reiterated its opposition to the controversial policy.

"We have expressed we can undergo serious dialogue with the US," Mr Zhu said. But China had yet to receive a formal US request for talks.

Washington said at the weekend it planned to hold intensive talks with Beijing over the next few weeks to convince China it was not threatened by President George W. Bush's proposed missile defence shield.

A top East Asia official from the US State Department said on Monday that Washington wanted the talks on the two powers' missile capabilities to be "very active".

Mr Zhu described reports in US media that a Chinese firm transferred missile technology to Pakistan as "absolutely groundless", and lashed out at US plans to impose sanctions.

"China has always opposed the United States slamming unreasonable sanctions against other countries according to its domestic laws," he said.

(Chinadaily.com.cn 09/05/2001)