China pinpointed the weapons sales to Taiwan as the main hurdle to improving military ties with the United States, while US Defence Secretary Robert Gates voiced frustration at Beijing's stance.

The difference of opinion emerged after Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie held talks with Gates in Hanoi, the first such meeting between the two nation's defence chiefs in almost a year.

Despite discord over Taiwan as well as China's stance on maritime disputes in the region, Liang confirmed an invitation to Gates to visit Beijing in coming months, and the Pentagon chief accepted, officials said.

China had rebuffed Gates earlier this year and called off a tentative visit in June, as part of a 10-month suspension in military relations.

China broke off defence ties with the United States in January over American plans to sell Taiwan more than six billion dollars' worth of arms, including Blackhawk helicopters, Patriot missiles and mine sweepers.

"The biggest obstacle in defence relations between the US and China is US arms sales to Taiwan," Guan You Fei, deputy head of external relations with China's defence ministry, told a news conference after the meeting.

The two defence chiefs met ahead of an Asia-wide security forum being held in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday, with China's expanding military power and assertive stance in maritime disputes raising anxiety across the region.

Gates also indicated earlier that Washington opposes Beijing's approach to territorial questions in the South China Sea, saying the United States backed a multilateral solution favoured by Vietnam and others in the region.

After the 30-minute meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Gates told reporters that there was no reason for the Taiwan arms sales to derail a much needed security dialogue, as the US military had little to do with the policy.

He said "the reality is the secretary of defence does not make decisions with respect to Taiwan arms sales. It is fundamentally a political decision," by Congress and political leaders, he said.

"And why the military relationship should be held hostage to what is essentially a political decision, seems to me curious. And I believe it should not be.

"If there is a discussion to be had, it is at the political level," he said.

Gates made the same point in his talks with Liang, his press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

China still considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the island has governed itself since 1949 at the end of a civil war.

Gates, however, said Monday's meeting marked a "good forward step," and that he made the case for expanding ties to avoid misunderstandings or miscalculations.

Guan, at a separate briefing with reporters, said China agreed on the need for a "continuous" military dialogue, even though both defence chiefs had agreed that relations faced "problems and obstacles."

"China consistently remains sincere and positive towards the development of military relations with the US," Guan said through a translator.

Gates said territorial disputes in the South China Sea did not come up in the talks, but suggested that the sensitive issue might be addressed at Tuesday's ASEAN-led forum.

"I think that it's clearly on everybody's mind and falls within the rubric of maritime security," he said.

Beijing's claims to potentially resource-rich archipelagos in the South China Sea have put it at odds with Vietnam and some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

China favours handling the South China Sea issue separately with individual claimants, while ASEAN members have called for negotiating a "code of conduct" for all nations.

In a speech earlier, Gates endorsed an international approach to settling maritime disagreements in the Pacific, despite China's opposition to any multilateral deal possibly brokered by Washington.

Amid a diplomatic row between China and Japan prompted by a collision in disputed waters last month, Gates said the United States wanted to see the two countries settle the dispute "peacefully through arbitration and negotiation."

But he renewed Washington's longstanding commitment to Japan's security.

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