BEIJING, Oct. 31 -- On October 30, General He Weidong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, met in Beijing respectively with defense ministers from Tajikistan, Armenia and Kazakhstan and secretary-general of ASEAN, who are attending the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in China.
During the meeting with Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo, Gen. He Weidong stated that China and Tajikistan are close and friendly neighbors sharing common mountains and rivers. Remarkable achievements have been made in pragmatic cooperation between China and Tajikistan, including high-level visits, personnel training, joint exercises and training. China is willing to work with Tajikistan to promote traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust, comprehensively enhance cooperation in all fields, and advance bilateral military relations. Sherali Mirzo said that China is a good partner and friend of Tajikistan, and thanked China for its support and assistance in the field of military security. Tajikistan is willing to continue strengthening exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese military to jointly maintain regional peace and tranquility.
During his meeting with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, Gen. He Weidong stated that the relationship between the two militaries has maintained steady growth and achieved satisfactory results. China is willing to cooperate closely with Armenia to enhance friendly exchanges and deepen pragmatic mil-to-mil cooperation in various fields. Suren Papikyan said that China is a reliable partner of Armenia, and the cooperation between Armenia and China has yielded fruitful outcomes. The Armenia side highly values the development of mil-to-mil relations with China and is ready to collaborate with China in promoting rapid development of exchanges and cooperation in the military domain.
During the meeting with Kazakh Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov, Gen. He Weidong emphasized that China and Kazakhstan are trustworthy neighbors, friends and partners. Both sides should remain committed to their initial intentions, support each other, and enhance and promote the deepening of military relations between the two countries. This will contribute positively to safeguarding common interests and regional stability. Ruslan Zhaksylykov affirmed that Kazakhstan firmly follows the one-China principle, wholeheartedly supports China in protecting its core interests, and expressed gratitude for China's support and assistance in the military field. The Kazakh side is ready to continuously enhance the level of military cooperation with China.
During the meeting with Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn, Gen. He Weidong stated that China-ASEAN cooperation has reached a new level. China supports ASEAN's central role in the regional cooperation framework and is willing to work with ASEAN to promote alignment of security concepts, expand cooperation in the field of security, deepen security exchanges and mutual trust, build the field of defense and security into a model for implementing the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness, and jointly maintain stability in the South China Sea. Kao Kim Hourn congratulated the successful holding of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum and pointed out that China and ASEAN have the most dynamic partnership, with cooperation encompassing all fields and having strong development potential. It is hoped that China and ASEAN will continue to closely cooperate and play a constructive role in maintaining regional security and stability.
