The defense establishments in China and the United States will finally get their hotline.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed it Monday after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.

“We reached agreement on implementation of a direct telephone link between our two defense establishments,” Gates said. He provided no details, though, and Cao indicated the workmen aren’t exactly out with their toolkits yet.

“We will both urge the relevant departments to press ahead with the technical consultations and preparations so that the agreement can be finalized,” Cao said, according to a transcript of the meeting provided by the U.S. Embassy.

The meeting between the two defense chiefs was probably most notable for the lack of obvious hidden daggers. Gates is marking distance from his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld, who rarely missed a chance to question China’s military buildup.

At a brief press appearance in the Ministry of National Defense, Gates hailed China for its successful recent launch of a lunar orbiter. Then he confirmed that President Bush will attend next summer’s Beijing Olympics, which he described as “the proud culmination of years of effort by Chinese leaders, athletes and citizens.”

Gates called U.S.-China relations as “candid, constructive and cooperative.”

Cao said the two sides would increase military exchanges “in all fields and at all levels.” And he added that the “two navies shall conduct a joint exercise with a relatively more complex scenario at an appropriate time.”

Gates declined to focus in public about the concerns the Pentagon may have about China’s military. In response to a question about China’s using a ground-based missile to knock down a satellite last January, Gates said only, “I raised our concerns about it, and there was no further discussion.”

Whether the two sides are really building greater trust and communication is yet to be seen.