(VOVWORLD) - US and Chinese naval chiefs have met for talks during a naval forum in China to discuss “increasing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Admiral Stephen Koehler, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, met Admiral Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, at the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao on Tuesday.
Two days earlier, Koehler met with the commander of China’s PLA Navy, Admiral Hu Zhongming. The 4‑day Western Pacific Naval Symposium involving 29 countries concluded on Wednesday.
The Ministry of National Defense of China quoted Admiral Hu Zhongming’s speech at the meeting as saying that the navies of all countries should take the important responsibility of maintaining peace and order in the oceans.
The Chinese Navy is ready to coordinate with other navies to contribute to peaceful development at sea.