Defense official reveals China's plans to boost international peace

The 6th Xiangshan Forum is held in Beijing, Oct 17, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Addressing the 6th Xiangshan Forum, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong unveiled a set of China's latest pledges to boost peace and stability in war-torn areas and China's neighborhood, such as the Southeast Asia.

In a keynote speech at the annual high-level defense and security event gathering of senior officials and leading scholars from around the world on Saturday, Fan said the Chinese military will implement the commitment and initiatives put forth recently by President Xi Jinping "in a down-to-earth manner".

In September, President Xi Jinping announced a range of Chinese initiatives to boost peace and security at the summit in New York marking the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.

Elaborating on China's future plans, Fan said that China will "speed up the building of an 8,000-troop standby peacekeeping force, and provide training programs to 2,000 peacekeepers of relevant countries in the coming five years.”

In accordance with the UN Security Council resolution, China will continue to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and offshore Somalia, he said.

In the Southeast Asia, China will "strengthen counter-piracy experience exchanges and cooperation with relevant countries in the sea areas of Southeast Asia and beyond".

"We will endeavor to improve the China-ASEAN defense and security exchange and cooperation mechanisms through consultation, explore the possibility of establishing direct telephone links, send liaison officers for security cooperation to the Chinese mission to ASEAN, and enhance multilateral defense consultation and coordination," he said.

Fan confirmed that China "will make active preparations for the joint training by using CUES (Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea), joint maritime search and rescue and HADR excises with relevant countries".

As an important platform for security and defense dialogue in the Asia-Pacific, the Xiangshan Forum has been convened for five consecutive years.

Fan said the forum is "playing a significant role in exchanging views, enhancing understanding and expanding consensus".

China will carry further the positive outcomes and consensus achieved at the Xiangshan Forum, and put them into decision-making process and practice, so as to work with all countries to maintain regional security and stability and world peace, he added.