国内英语新闻:China, Serbia up military cooperation

BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong met with visiting Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic on Friday, vowing improved military cooperation.

Commenting on bilateral ties, Fan said the friendship between two nations has stayed sound although international and domestic situations have undergone dramatic changes over the last half century.

"Our mutual political trust has remained solid," he said.

He noted that, in recent years, their armed forces have enjoyed close high-level exchanges and favorable cooperation on logistics, military medical and personnel training.

Fan pledged the two sides would further enhance pragmatic military cooperation.

Saying China is a good friend to Serbia, Gasic stressed that his China visit was impressive.

During his stay, the minister visited Chinese troops, signed cooperative agreements, toured China's national defense university and delivered a speech at the fifth Xiangshan Forum, a security forum focusing on the Asia-Pacific region.

The Serbian side is willing to work with China to boost relations between two countries and their militaries, he added.

Leading a delegation including several senior members of the defense ministry, Gasic is on his first visit to China. He held talks with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan on Monday.