The Chinese military is willing to work with all parties to deepen practical cooperation, jointly address global security challenges, and resolutely safeguard world and regional peace and stability, Minister of National Defense Dong Jun said on Tuesday.
Dong made the remarks during separate meetings in Beijing with defense officials from Myanmar, Brunei, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, as well as ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, ahead of the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which is scheduled to run from Tuesday to Thursday.
Dong welcomed the guests to the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, saying that over the past 20 years, the forum has upheld the principles of equality, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, contributing wisdom to promoting peace and cooperation and advancing common security.
He said that amid growing instability and uncertainty in the world, the Chinese military is ready to work with all parties to implement the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity and the four major global initiatives.
Themed "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together," this year's forum has drawn attendees from almost 100 countries, regions and international organizations.
Over the past two decades, the forum has evolved into a vital international public good, offering a space for equal dialogue and joint efforts toward global peace.
Chinese defense minister calls for deeper cooperation on global security
China's first major river-to-sea canal officially opened to navigation on Wednesday, a development that will lower logistics costs for Taiwan-funded enterprises and create new opportunities for them to tap the ASEAN market, a mainland spokeswoman said at a regular press conference in Beijing.
The 134.2-km Pinglu Canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is expected to shorten the shipping distance between China's southwestern hinterland and ASEAN countries by 560 km, reducing logistics costs by 18 to 30 percent.
The canal is part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a logistics network linking western China with Southeast Asia through railways, roads, waterways and ports. It adds a water connection to the corridor, linking China's inland river system with the ports and shipping routes of the Beibu Gulf.
"It is widely agreed among businesspeople from Taiwan that the Pinglu Canal will facilitate Taiwan-funded enterprises in connecting with resources in western mainland cities, effectively reduce import and export logistics costs through rail-river-sea multimodal transport, and create new opportunities for Taiwan-funded enterprises to explore the ASEAN market after an industrial chain is created, spanning raw material processing in the west, river-to-sea transshipment in Guangxi, and sales in ASEAN markets. We welcome the vast number of businesspeople and enterprises from Taiwan to share in the opportunities of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the west, take root in the mainland, and achieve a greater development," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Wednesday.
Pinglu Canal creates new opportunities for Taiwan-funded enterprises: spokeswoman
