China, Australia vow to strengthen military ties

Gen. Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), met with Tony Abbott, Australian prime minister, Julie Bishop, Australian minister for foreign affairs, David Johnston, Australian minister for defense, and other senior defense officials in Canberra, Australia on July 17, 2014.

During the talks with David Johnston, Australian minister for defense, both sides believed that the priority for both countries is to maintain the peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region, as well as to push forward the development of defense relationship on the basis of mutual respect.

Gen. Fan Changlong and David Johnston emphasized the significance of cooperation and communication over the issues of security affairs between China and Australia, and among China, Australia and other regional partners and organizations.

The two sides also talked about the cooperation in the fields of humanitarian rescue and disaster relief, as well as the search for the MH370 airplane that is undergoing.

Both sides believed that the will and capability of close cooperation of the two militaries of China and Australia highlight the value of continuous pragmatic defense exchanges between the two countries.

The two sides held that the high-level reciprocal visits and pragmatic exchanges between the two militaries have brought great results in the development of defense relations between the two militaries.

The commanders of the three services of Australia all visited China in the first half of 2014.

David Johnston, minister for defense, was pleased to accept the invitation and he will visit China later this year.

Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, commander of the Australian Defense Force, and Dennis Richardson, secretary general of the Ministry of Defense, will visit China at the end of this year to co-host the 17th China-Australia Defense Strategic Talks with Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of general staff of the PLA.

Fan Changlong and David Johnston announced that China, Australia and the US will hold a joint military exercise named Covaliov in Australia in October, 2014.

The exercise will display the unified cooperative will of the three countries to strengthen regional stability.

Given that the maritime safety is crucial to the region, Fan Changlong and David Johnston reached an agreement on how China and Australia should make efforts to deepen the maritime security cooperation on the Indian-Pacific Ocean in their further talks.