The snub came despite an invitation last year from China's second-ranking officer, General Xu Caihou, for Gates to visit the country in 2010, and after repeated appeals from Washington to bolster military dialogue.

"The Chinese have told us this is not a convenient time for them," a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

Gates had tentatively planned to travel to China after attending an annual Asia security conference in Singapore this week, press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

The defense secretary still hoped to visit China another time and would continue to argue for the benefits of forging stronger relations between the countries' military leaders, Morrell said.

The Chinese were sending a general to the Singapore conference but Gates did not plan on meeting the delegation, which the Pentagon viewed as too low level, he said.

China denounced US arms sales to Taiwan unveiled in January and its latest move appeared to fit a familiar pattern in which it has postponed some scheduled high-level exchanges with the American military.

Gates, citing the experience of the Cold War with US-Soviet talks, has urged the Chinese to remain committed to the dialogue even when there are disagreements and setbacks, Morrell said.

"I think the secretary has made clear time and time again that there are going to be bumps in the road with this relationship. But we cannot let those bumps derail it.

"We have to continue to engage even when there are things that happen that we don't like," he said. "We're going to impress that point upon them."

Gates has made one visit to China since he took over as defense secretary in 2006, and declined invitations to return until Beijing reciprocated with a visit by General Xu in October.

At meetings last week with Chinese leaders in Beijing, Admiral Robert Willard, head of US Pacific Command, and other US officials made the case for "why having a stable, reliable and continuous military dialogue is in both of our countries' interests," the defense official said.

"We are ready to work with the Chinese when they are ready to work with us," he said.

The US administration views military dialogue as a way of avoiding misunderstandings and a repeat of last year's standoffs on the high seas, with Chinese vessels confronting US surveillance ships.

Gates planned to address the issue at the security conference in Singapore, which is likely to be dominated by the crisis on the Korean peninsula after the sinking of a South Korean warship.

Following the Singapore summit, the defense secretary travels to Baku -- instead of Beijing -- to discuss US supply routes passing through Azerbaijan to support NATO-led troops in Afghanistan.

He also is due to fly to Britain next week for a two-day visit to meet newly-elected Prime Minister David Cameron as well as Defense Minister Liam Fox, before heading to Brussels for a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

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