PLA ready to make further contribution to peace

SINGAPORE - The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China is ready to work with other militaries to make further contribution to regional and global peace and development, Wang Guanzhong, a senior PLA officer, said on Sunday.

"We will continue to work with regional countries to carry out in-depth bilateral and multilateral security dialogues and exchanges," Wang, deputy chief of the general staff of the PLA, said in a speech at the 13th Shangri-La Dialogue.

Wang said that China will continue to step up dialogue, communication and coordination with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the defense and security areas and support the development of the ASEAN Community.

Wang said in his speech that China has proposed to work with regional countries to build a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The two major cooperation initiatives offer new opportunities for China and regional countries to achieve common development.

The senior PLA officer said that the building of the two major cooperation initiatives has to be driven by two wheels -- the development and the security.

"The PLA is ready to work with regional countries to strengthen practical cooperation in counter-terrorism, disaster relief, protection of sea lines of communication and other fields, thus ensuring common prosperity of countries along the Economic Belt and the new Silk Road," Wang noted.

Over the issue of promoting disaster relief cooperation, he said that this plays an important role in jointly tackle challenges in this region.

"The Asia-Pacific is prone to various disasters. The importance of regional disaster relief cooperation is further highlighted by the recent search and rescue operations for the missing Malaysian Airliner MH370," Wang said.

He noted that in order to improve regional capacity building, China this year has arranged five bilateral and multilateral joint disaster relief exercises and drill of all services with regional countries.

Moreover, China and Malaysia will co-host the 4th ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercises, Wang added.

According to him, it is the shared responsibility of all to strengthen maritime cooperation and maintain maritime security because the ocean serves the common interests of all Asia-Pacific countries.

Wang also mentioned in his speech that in order to maintain regional security and stability, it is crucial to properly manage differences, ensure timely communication, and dispel misperceptions and miscalculations.

"China has established defense telephone links with Russia and the United States and we are exploring the possibility of establishing similar telephone links with ASEAN countries," he added.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, organized by the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, has been one of the key events for defense professionals in the region to exchange views on security issues.