BEIJING — Beijing and Canberra have agreed to enhance military ties, Chinese state media reported, lauding defense relations between them even as Australia strengthens cooperation with the United States and Japan.
The move follows President Xi Jinping’s visit to Australia last month, when they agreed to raise their ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” and sealed a free trade accord, the official Xinhua news agency reported late Tuesday.
Improving military relations illustrated “a new high of mutual political trust between our countries,” it quoted Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, as saying.
“Military ties forge an important part of bilateral ties,” he added.
Fan held talks with Mark Binskin, the head of Australia’s military, and Defence Scretary Dennis Richardson, who were in China for an annual strategic dialogue.
Read the full story at DefenseNews