Vietnam, China to witness stronger military ties

The relations between the armies of China and Vietnam will continue to witness new developments, a senior Vietnamese defense official said Wednesday.

The friendly military ties between the two countries will be important pillars for the relationship between the two parties and the two nations, which accords with the expectation and interests of the people of the two countries, said Le Huu Duc, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defense.

Duc made the remarks at a reception held by the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam on Wednesday to mark the upcoming 87th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Duc hailed the continuous development of China's PLA in the past 87 years, as well as the PLA's participation in both domestic disaster relief assistance and international humanitarian activities, as well as UN peace-keeping operations.

Over the past 60 years since the two countries officially established diplomatic relations, the bilateral ties withstood the test of time. The more hardship that the two countries have gone through, the more respect should be paid to the efforts on peace, stability, cooperation and mutual development, said Duc.

Speaking at the reception, Zhen Zhongxing, military attache of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said China will adhere to the principles of "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness" and deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries.

China will also continue to pursue a national defense policy which is purely defensive in nature, as well as oppose all forms of hegemonism and power politics.

"In the new period, China's PLA is willing to strengthen friendly cooperation with other countries' armies and enhance mutual trust to contribute to maintaining world peace and promoting common development," Zhen added.

Zhen said China highly appreciates the efforts of the Vietnamese government and army in searching for the missing Malaysian jetliner MH370, and China is willing to expand and deepen the exchange and cooperation between the two armies in related fields.

Zhen expressed belief that the two countries are able to deal with differences and existing issues through dialogues and negotiations with a spirit of mutual understanding, thus continue to contribute to maintaining the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.