From left: Lu Kang, deputy chief of mission of the Chinese embassy in Washington; Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the US; Kelly Magsmen, US acting assistant secretary of defense and principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs; Rear Admiral James Foggo of the US Navy; and Xu Nanfeng, defense attache of the Chinese embassy in Washington, pose for a photo on Thursday evening at a reception in the embassy marking the 87th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Chen Weihua / China Daily