Move to identify practical joint effort by M’sia and China
PETALING JAYA: A proposal has been made for a high level committee to be formed to help identify more “practical cooperation” between Malaysia and China, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
He said such a proposal came about after a meeting with his counterpart General Chang Wanquan in Beijing during his three-day official visit to the Chinese capital.
Chang, he said, had expressed his satisfaction over the increasingly close ties in military and defence affairs between the two countries.
“This has led to the proposal for such a committee to identify more practical cooperation which can be implemented, especially from the aspect of defence, in a more organised and structured manner,” he said in a statement at the end of the visit yesterday.
“We also agreed that frequent visits to each other’s country are needed to strengthen our communication, understanding and trust.
“I have instructed Army Chief Jen Datuk Seri Zulkiple Kassim and Air Force Chief Jen Datuk Seri Affendi Buang to visit China in the near future to further discuss on defence and military cooperation,” he said.
Hishammuddin said he also took the oppor- tunity to share with Chang information on the King Salman Centre For International Peace, which was aimed at rectifying the perception of the world community towards Islam.
Hishammuddin said he also met several high-ranking officials to discuss various issues, including terrorism and security in the South China Sea.
Both countries, he said, agreed that attention to a global defence landscape that was fast changing and becoming more challenging must be given.
“Issues like threats and the dissemination of terrorist ideologies – particularly from the Islamic State (IS) militants – were discussed during a meeting with China’s Central Military Commission vice-chairman General Xu Qiliang, State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Security Minister Guo Shengkun.
“We also refined the roles we need to play to ensure peace in the South China Sea. We will continue working closely together to defend regional and international security,” he said.
During his visit, a memorandum of understanding was also signed between Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia and Peking University.