China, Uzbekistan to strengthen military ties

BEIJING - China and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to further strengthen military-to-military cooperation as the two defense ministers held talks on bilateral ties.

State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan told visiting Uzbek Defense Minister Kabul Berdiev that as Uzbekistan's friendly neighbor and strategic partner, China highly values pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces.

Chang said China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President Islam Karimov to strengthen cooperative relations between the two armed forces to a new level.

The Chinese side is willing to enhance cooperation with the Uzbek side in high-level exchanges, military education, joint training and other spheres, according to Chang.

Hailing the achievements of bilateral cooperation, Berdiev said that the Uzbek side appreciates China's assistance to Uzbekistan and expects more cooperation between the two armed forces.