BEIJING, July 30 -- From July 7 to 8, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Senior Officials' Meeting Plus and the ASEAN Regional Forum Security Policy Conference (ASPC) held video conferences, and Chinese military's representatives participated in the video conferences in Beijing, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND), in a regular press conference on Thursday.
According to Ren, the Chinese military's representatives and the other participating parties of the ASEAN countries exchanged views on the military's participation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the international and regional security situation, and discussed on strengthening the coordination of the two meetings.
The Chinese side emphatically introduced the Chinese military's experience in fighting COVID-19 pandemic at home and relevant information on conducting international cooperation in the fight against COVID-19,and proposed that all parties should strengthen the capacity in jointly dealing with non-traditional security challenges, said Ren Guoqiang, adding that the meetings have yielded positive results in enhancing understanding and expanding consensus.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense departments and militaries of China and the ASEAN countries have maintained close communication and coordination, exploring exchanges and cooperation under normalized pandemic prevention and control situation, Ren introduced. They also have achieved positive effects in terms of anti-pandemic material assistance, dispatching medical expert groups, and holding video conferences in exchange of experience, he added.
Next, the Chinese military will, as always, strengthen pragmatic cooperation with all parties in the fields of anti-pandemic efforts, joint exercises and training, humanitarian relief and disaster reduction, so as to jointly maintain regional security and stability, Ren expressed.