China, Indonesia to establish navy dialogue mechanism

BEIJING - China and Indonesia are going to establish a dialogue mechanism between the two navies and hold the first round of navy dialogue this year, a Chinese military spokesman said in Beijing on Thursday.

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a monthly press briefing that both sides have agreed to announce the official establishment of the mechanism at an appropriate time.

According to Yang, a meeting on the framework of the mechanism and some technical issues is being held in Beijing from Tuesday to Friday, and both sides have reached a basic consensus on the mechanism's purpose, operation mode and contents.

"Both sides agree that the establishment of the mechanism is conducive to deepening the pragmatic exchanges and cooperation between China and Indonesia, as well as the in-depth development of bilateral defense relations and the maintenance of regional peace and stability," he said.