SINGAPORE, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Top delegates from China and Japan to the Shangri-La Dialogue said on Sunday that the bilateral air and maritime contact mechanism is an important regime for the two neighbors, hoping it could be formed through joint efforts.
He Lei, vice president of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said on the sidelines of the security dialogue in Singapore that the overall China-Japan relations have improved recently but still with fragility and complexity.
"China has been adopting an active attitude toward bilateral defense communications," he said.
Both sides should maintain their political basis and properly manage their differences so as to push forward the development of bilateral defense relations, He added.
The Chinese lieutenant general said China has attached great importance to the negotiations on bilateral air and maritime contact mechanism and has made efforts in this regard.
Kazuaki Sumida, vice chief of staff of Joint Staff of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, said he hoped the important air and maritime contact mechanism could be established through joint efforts, adding that stable relations between Japan and China are crucial to Asia-Pacific security.
Sumida said Japan is willing to enhance bilateral exchanges and talks in defense, especially when the two sides mark the 45th anniversary of normalization of their diplomatic ties this year and will mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China in 2018.
The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue, which gathered senior military officials, diplomats and experts from over 30 countries, concluded on Sunday. Enditem
