Collaboration between the two militaries’ naval and air forces will help to further deepen mutual trust and cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional security and stability, China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.
General Wang Xiubin, commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, and French Rear Admiral Geoffroy d’Andigne, commander of the Pacific Ocean and French Polynesian maritime zones, signed the agreement on Thursday, the ministry statement said. The Southern Theatre Command is the PLA arm that oversees the South China Sea. […]
The signing of the cooperation agreement follows a consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China last year, when they agreed to deepen military communication and strengthen mutual understanding on security issues.
The move towards forging closer Sino-French military ties comes amid increasing confrontations between China and the Philippines over maritime rights in the South China Sea. Läs artikel