BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and his Uzbekistan counterpart Ruslan Mirzayev met here Tuesday, pledging to further push ahead with relations of the two armed forces.

    Cao, also vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and state councilor, said China and Uzbekistan have witnessed frequent high-level visits and fruitful cooperation in various fields over the past few years.

    China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to push ahead with the relations between the two countries and the two armed forces, Cao said.

    Mirzayev said Uzbekistan values the relations with China, and will further enhance exchanges and cooperation with China in bilateral and multilateral fields, in an effort to lift the Uzbekistan-China military relations to a higher level.

    Mirzayev was here to attend the security talks of the defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Wednesday. Enditem