BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2022) Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his Singaporean counterpart, Ng Eng Hen, agreed to hold a series of joint military exercises on land and at sea in 2023, the Chinese defense ministry said on Friday.
"The parties agreed to accelerate the creation of a hotline between the defense ministries of the two countries, as well as to hold a number of joint land and sea military exercises in 2023 as part of the China-Singapore cooperation," the ministry said in a statement following the ministers' meeting in the Chinese city of Xian.
Wei called on the parties to strengthen strategic interaction and jointly maintain peace and stability in the region.
"I hope that the armies of the two countries will communicate at an even higher level, increase the level of joint training and exercises, promote staff training, strengthen multilateral security cooperation and bring relations between the armed forces of the two countries to a higher level," the Chinese defense minister said.
On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Bangkok ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi stressed China's willingness to develop close high-level exchanges with Singapore and determination to make "high quality" a hallmark of cooperation between the two countries.
