BEIJING - Director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) William Lacy Swing welcomed and appreciated China's application for becoming a member state of the IOM, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao met with Swing on Monday morning and submitted the application letter signed by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, spokesperson Lu Kang said.

The IOM is the most important intergovernmental organization in the migration field, he said.

According to the IOM website, the organization currently has 162 member states and nine others that hold observer status.

Since it became an observer state of the IOM in 2001, China has engaged in pragmatic cooperation in migration management and consular service, Lu said, noting that the IOM has provided assistance to Chinese citizens in Syria and Micronesia.

China has a large population with substantial migration, if China becomes a member state of the IOM, the country will play a more important role and strengthen international migration cooperation, Lu said.