ULAN BATOR, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian and Chinese military officials held the third Defense Security Consultation here Wednesday, discussing regional security situation, international peacekeeping, bilateral ties and other issues of common concern.

    Assistant chief of the general staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Chen Xiaogong and state secretary of the Mongolian Defense Ministry M. Borbaatar attended the consultation.

    Chen said that cooperation between the two militaries in the fields of high-level exchanges, personnel training, and frontier defense had been highly effective and helped promote bilateral relations.

    Chen hoped to enhance the military exchanges between Chinese and Mongolian armies, and to promote the good-neighborly partnership of mutual trust between the two countries.

    Borbaatar said the past years had seen sound growth of the ties between the two militaries, and the third Defense Security Consultation was of great significance to the further development of the military cooperation.

    He expressed the hope that the two militaries could further boost practical cooperation in defense in the future.

    Mongolian Defense Minister Jamiyandorj Batkhuyag met with Chen Xiaogong before the consultation. Chen arrived here on Tuesday for a four-day visit to Mongolia.

    The first Defense Security Consultation between China and Mongolia was held in 2004.