Vientiane (VNA) – The 6th ASEAN-China Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting took place in Vientiane, Laos, on May 25 as🌠 part of the 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM).

Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich led a Vietnamese delegation to the event. China’s Defence Minister Chang Wanquan called on ASEAN members and China to enhance cooperation via joint patrolling, anti-terrorism work and maritime exercises. ASEAN and Chinese defence ministers underlined the significance of cooperation in defence-security and committed to addressing matters via peaceful means, without the threat or use of force. Vietnamese Defence Minister Lich hailed the function as a necessary and effective means to help ASEAN and its key strategic partners in the region discuss issues of mutual concern, especially in defence and military. This will contribute to building and maintaining mutual trust and putting forth measures to tackle common security challenges and strengthening solidarity within the bloc as well as embracing links between ASEAN and China, he said. Vietnam valued the contributions of China to the building of the ASEAN Community and its support for promoting the central role of the association in the region and ASEAN defence cooperation mechanisms such as ADMM+ and the ASEAN Regional Forum, he said. The Minister underscored the goal of bolstering bilateral and multilateral collaboration among ASEAN nations as well as between ASEAN and its partners in the fields of defence and military, to create a peaceful, stable, developing and equal environment. Apart from ASEAN’s efforts, the assistance and contribution of bloc partners, especially China , are of importance, he said. He proposed ASEAN and China maintain information exchanges, consultations and study the establishment of a hotline between the two sides’ defence ministers. The official also suggested enacting measures to build trust via field activities, especially at sea, while expanding the application of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea for ASEAN and Chinese public service ships, and building a similar code for airplanes in the East Sea. If this proposal is realised, it will contribute to mitigating miscalculation of the involved parties, he noted. On the sidelines of the ADMM 10, Minister Ngo Xuan Lich had a bilateral meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein, during which the two sides agreed on measures to promote the relations between the two countries’ armies.-VNA