Chinese, Russian officials laud bilateral military ties

SINGAPORE -- Chinese and Russian officials spoke highly of the military ties between the two countries on Saturday as they met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue being held in Singapore.

The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at its all-time high, Lt. Gen. He Lei, vice president of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said while meeting with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

Leaders of the two countries paid much attention to bilateral military cooperation, laying a solid political foundation for the healthy and steady development of the military ties between the two countries, He said.

In recent years, the two militaries have worked together to implement the important consensus reached between leaders of the two countries and push for the pragmatic cooperation and exchange between the two militaries with new achievements, he said.

The two militaries have seen deepening ties and higher level cooperation, the senior Chinese military officer said.

Fomin, for his part, attributed the healthy and steady development of bilateral military ties to close relationship between the leaders of the two countries, the independent foreign policies pursued by the two countries and their shared views on the multipolar world, among other key issues.

The two militaries have been conducting high-level cooperation, and the two sides have been in close cooperation in the fields of joint military exercise, military competition and military technology, he said.

Russia and China should continue to boost strategic coordination and further strengthen ties between the two countries and two militaries, Fomin said.