Vietnam, China beef up defence ties

Beijing (VNA) – China wants to deepen result-oriented defence cooperation with Vietnam, stated Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan during his meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh in Beijing on November 2.

Vinh is leading a senior military delegation to the sixth Vietnam-China defence strategic dialogue slated for November 4 in China.

At the meeting, Chang Wanquan acknowledged good outcomes of bilateral defence ties over the recent past, including the organisation of strategic dialogues, delegation exchanges, personnel training and sharing of experience on UN peacekeeping activities.

China is planning to replicate the model of annual border defence friendship exchange with Vietnam in its relations with other countries, he noted.

For his part, Vinh said the Vietnamese delegation attends the 6th defence strategic dialogue with the aim of expanding the bilateral defence partnership towards practical results and effectiveness.

He added that both sides have made careful preparations for the sixth dialogue, including proposals to be submitted to the central military commissions and defence ministry leaders of the two countries, with the goal of making defence ties a pillar of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

The deputy minister stated that Vietnam welcomes increased defence collaboration between China and ASEAN member states for peace and security in the region.

The same day, the Vietnamese delegation also took part in the annual Munich Security Conference’s Core Group Meeting in Beijing. Topics of the two-day meeting included regional security in the South Pacific, China's role in the global security order, and the geopolitical implications of the "New Silk Road".

As part of the visit, the Vietnamese Institute for Military Strategy and the Chinese Academy of Military Science signed a memorandum of understanding on join research and collection of documents and memorabilia about the friendship between the two countries’ armies and the Ho Chi Minh-Mao Zedong ideology on solidarity during the resistance wars against France and the US.-VNA