Officials' trade logistics views
( 2002-09-26 09:54 ) (1 )

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum has given the lead in the development of a new security concept and multi polarization in the Asia-Pacific region, a Chinese logistics official told a seminar in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wen Guangchun, deputy director of the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army, told the opening ceremony of the forum's Seminar on Military Logistics Outsourcing Support that the forum has become the most important arena for security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific area and has played a significant role in enhancing mutual understanding and trust among forum member states, promoting regional dialogue and co-operation and maintaining regional peace and security.

Thirty-nine participants from 23 parties from ASEAN members attended on Wednesday's opening ceremony. During the three-day forum, military representatives from 11 countries will outline the experiences of their armies in the outsourcing of logistics.

Wen said that the outsourcing of military logistics support has become common practice for most nations' armed forces all over the world as they adopt business practices.

He noted that such a seminar is of great significance in encouraging the participation of national defence officers in more forum activities and in enhancing mutual understanding and co-operation among the armed forces of forum member states.

The forum is a pan-Asia-Pacific official multilateral security dialogue and co-operation forum founded in 1994.

It was set up as part of an ASEAN initiative to carry out open dialogue and consultation on regional political and security issues to discuss and reconcile the differing views between forum participants in order to reduce security risks.

The process of military logistics outsourcing support has been carried out since 2000 in China's military at and above army level in large and medium cities and non-operational units in the fields of catering, barracks and commercial services.

Li Changshun, deputy chief of staff of the General Logistics Department, said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army is aiming to outsource services in everyday areas such as housing, health care and transportation by 2005.