Chinese military ready to boost ties with Indonesian counterpart: defense spokesperson

BEIJING - The Chinese military is willing to work with its Indonesian counterpart to further consolidate strategic mutual trust, enhance pragmatic cooperation, and elevate the relationship between the two militaries to new heights, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media query regarding the visit of Prabowo Subianto -- president-elect of Indonesia, general chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party and defense minister of Indonesia -- to China as well as the mil-to-mil relations between China and Indonesia.

Prabowo's visit to China was the first leg of his first overseas visit as Indonesian President-elect. This demonstrates the great importance he attaches to China-Indonesia friendship and his earnest desire to advance the relations between the militaries of the two countries, Wu said.

The Chinese and Indonesian militaries have maintained high-level interactions over the recent years, with a strong momentum of development in areas such as joint exercise and training and reciprocal ship visits, Wu said.