The 10-person delegation, including three generals and officials from the foreign ministry, left Beijing Friday, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported.

"This is the first time that the US military has invited observers from the Chinese side to a solely-organized US military exercise," the paper said.

China invited US observers to Chinese military exercises in 2003 and 2005, it added.

"The invitation to observe the US military exercises is a very important component of exchanges between the militaries of China and the United States," the paper quoted a defense ministry official as saying.

"This is not only beneficial to mutual understanding and confidence building, but it is also beneficial to mutual study and reference and for advancing the continued development of our militaries."

The exercises, entitled Valiant Shield 2006 are slated for June 19-23 and involve three US aircraft carrier groups, 30 warships, 280 aircraft and 22,000 soldiers.

The invitation came as the two nations seek to improve military-to-military ties following a mid-air crash between a Chinese jet fighter and a US surveillance plane over the South China Seas in 2001.

The incident, which resulted in the death of a Chinese pilot and the detention in China of the US plane crew, halted military exchanges between the two sides for years as bilateral relations nose dived.

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