BEIJING — The United States is spending too much on its military in light of its recent economic troubles, China’s top general said today while playing down his country’s own military capabilities.

The chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, Chen Bingde, told reporters he thought the U.S. should cut back on defense spending for the sake of its taxpayers. He spoke at a joint news conference in which he traded barbs with U.S. counterpart Adm. Mike Mullen.

“I know the U.S. is still recovering from the financial crisis,” Chen said. “Under such circumstances, it is still spending a lot of money on its military and isn’t that placing too much pressure on the taxpayers?

“If the U.S. could reduce its military spending a bit and spend more on improving the livelihood of the American people ... wouldn’t that be a better scenario?” he said.

The visit by Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the first of its kind in four years. Mullen and Chen are trying to upgrade military-to-military ties after setbacks over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, cyberattacks traced to China and concern about Beijing’s military plans.

Chen made a similar trip to the U.S. in May as part of efforts to improve relations between the militaries, especially as the economies of the countries become more codependent.

The world’s two biggest economies frequently clash over financial issues, such as Beijing’s resistance to exchange rate reforms and the ballooning U.S. trade deficit with China.