BEIJING, July 3 (ChinaMil) -- General Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Wei Fenghe, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister met and talked respectively with Ron Mark, New Zealand Defense Minister in Beijing on Tuesday.
In the meeting, Gen. Xu said the China-New Zealand ties have made great progress since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relations, and always taken the lead in terms of China-Western countries relations. In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to New Zealand, and raised the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, pointing out the way for the development of bilateral tie. It is in line with the fundamental interests of both parties to develop China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.
Gen. Xu said, in recent years, the Chinese and New Zealand militaries have devoted to working on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, which has been shown in the ever-growing bilateral defense relations. The two militaries will continue to explore new fields of cooperation, and jointly plan their future development to promote their defense cooperation to a new level.
Defense Minister Ron Mark said the China and New Zealand have maintained a good relationship, and he hoped that the two countries could further deepen bilateral military exchanges and cooperation, so as to promote the China-New Zealand defense relations to a new level.
In the meeting with Ron Mark, Gen. Wei Fenghe said China and New Zealand share wide common ground in promoting world peace, stability and development. Under the guidance of the two heads of state, China-New Zealand military relations have maintained positive development, and brought forth fruitful achievement in high-level exchanges, consultation and dialogue, personnel exchanges, joint exercises and training, and multilateral cooperation. The two countries must work on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen strategic mutual trust, extend practical cooperation, and forge even closer defense relations, in an effort to make great contribution to the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.
Ron Mark said New Zealand is willing to deepen practical exchanges and cooperation with China across the board, and push forward the military relations between the two countries.