Regional cooperation can strengthen security

Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, on Nov 5 urged regional cooperation to address new security issues and strengthen Asia-Pacific stability.

Peace in the region, especially in Southeast Asia, is a responsibility shared by regional militaries, as any single country can hardly tackle the increasing multilateral and multinational security threats alone, said Qi.

"If a country wants to develop, it must let the other countries develop; if it wants to be safe, it must let the others be safe; and if it wants to be well, it must let the others be well," he said.

Qi made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum Heads of Defense Universities/Colleges/Institutions Meeting in Beijing. He was promoted from the assistant to the chief of the general staff in an earlier round of military reshuffling.

The three-day meeting, with the theme of the education of national security strategy in a changing world, is sponsored by the National Defense University of the PLA and the Defense College of Brunei. It is the second time China has held the meeting in 12 years.

Around 80 representatives from 21 parties to the forum participated in the meeting in a bid to strengthen multilateral military diplomacy and exchanges of military education, said Wang Xibin, head of the National Defense University of the PLA.