The Chinese army is stepping up exchanges with other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on multiple fronts, Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The Defense Ministers' Meeting of SCO member states was held in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, on Thursday morning, with parties at the meeting calling for efforts to further consolidate military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among the SCO member states.
In the process of establishing and developing the SCO, defense and security cooperation has played a particularly important role, Zhang said.
Zhang noted that China has actively promoted strategic communication, deepened practical cooperation and innovated cooperation models.
"First, we have organized or participated in meetings of defense ministers, meetings of chiefs of general staff, and department meetings of international military cooperation, making exchanges with other SCO member states, building consensus, and making the 'SCO voice' heard on international and regional security issues. Second, China has many a time hosted and participated in the 'Peace Mission' series of joint military exercises, 'Peace Horn' military music festival and expert working group meetings, and carried out professional exchanges in military medicine, military transportation, and military translation. Cooperation in various fields has been continuously deepened and solidified. Third, we initiated and hosted the SCO Senior Officers Training Course, exchange programs for young and middle-aged officers, and 'SCO plus' Young Scholars' Salon to enrich the forms and channels of exchanges among military personnel of SCO member states, which have continuously enhanced friendship and mutual trust," Zhang said.
China will work to further deepen defense cooperation with other members under the 'Shanghai Spirit' - the set of values that underpins the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, according to the spokesman.
"The Chinese army will work with armed forces of other SCO member states to carry forward the 'Shanghai Spirit,' further broaden and deepen defense cooperation, and join hands in building a common home featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice, so as to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," Zhang said.
China to deepen defense cooperation with SCO member states:MND
