China, Russia Discuss Military Cooperation

The chief of the Chinese army''s General Staff Chen Bingde has discussed military cooperation with Russian Defense Minister Anatoli Serdyukov. During their talks, Chen, Chief of the General Staff of the People''s Liberation Army (PLA), said bilateral military relations were in good shape and there had been dramatic progress in recent years. China stood ready to work with Russia to further advance their military ties, which would help promote the China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership and was conducive to peace and stability in the region and the world, Chen said. Serdyukov lauded the relationship between the two countries and the two militaries. The two sides also conducted an in-depth exchange of views on contacts and cooperation between defense departments and the two militaries and reached broad consensus.