Senior military officials of China and Singapore on Tuesday agreed to cement ties between the two armed forces.

 

"China would like to make joint efforts with Singapore to cement the relations between the two armed forces," Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan said in a meeting with visiting Singaporean Chief of Defense Force Ng Yat Chung.

 

Reviewing the bilateral ties, particularly the military ties, Cao said that remarkable progress has been achieved since the two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1990.

 

The armed forces of the two countries have witnessed an increasingly expanded cooperation and deeper trust, said Liang Guanglie, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), when holding talks with his Singaporean counterpart Tuesday.

 

Chung said the Singaporean armed forces will work with the Chinese PLA to push the military-to-military ties to a higher level.

 

Chung also said Singapore will adhere to the one-China policy and resolutely oppose the "Taiwan Independence."

 

Chung arrived in Beijing Monday for a five-day China tour.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2006)