BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and U.S. armed forces, said Jiang Yu, spokeswoman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, here Thursday.

　　In response to a question on U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, Jiang said China will continue to strengthen the military exchanges and cooperation with the United States so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust and properly handle each other's concern.

　　The U.S. President George W. Bush announced Wednesday that Rumsfeld was stepping down, and would be replaced by former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Robert Gates.