‍A senior Chinese military official called on Friday for peaceful coexistence among countries, urged concerned parties to jointly safeguard the security of the Asia-Pacific region, and reiterated that China will always follow the path of peaceful development.

Lieutenant General He Lei, Vice President of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, made the remarks at a press briefing after attending a reception and opening dinner held for participants of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue, currently underway in Singapore.

"China always adheres to the path of peaceful development, and believes that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, should be equal, coexist peacefully and jointly safeguard security in the Asia-Pacific region," the official said.

Chinese Lieutenant General He Lei (2nd, L) meets US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (2nd, R). /ThePaper.com Photo 

He Lei, who is heading the Chinese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, said the Chinese representatives will expound on China's foreign policy of peace as well as its defensive national defense policy, particularly against the backdrop of various security risks and challenges in the international arena.

The general said Chinese President Xi Jinping, from a perspective of world peace and development, has proposed the promotion of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as the core, practicing the Asian security concept and building a community of shared future for mankind.

With regard to the remarks made by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the dinner on the Korean Peninsula issue and regional rules, He Lei said, "I think he has ignored the basic fact that the crux of the issue is the strategic distrust between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States."

"And when we talk about rules, in my opinion, international rules should reflect general consensus of all countries, and they should not be unilaterally interpreted and decided by some countries," He Lei said, stressing that regional rules should demonstrate shared interests and values of the region.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis. /VCG Photo

In terms of the future of China-US ties, He Lei told US Defense Secretary James Mattis that China hopes Washington sticks to the joint efforts made by President Xi and his US counterpart Donald Trump during their Mar-a-Lago meeting earlier this year.

Mattis on Friday outlined the Trump administration's approach in remarks to reporters traveling with him to Singapore, speaking about "reinforcing the international order" while seeking a "peaceful, prosperous and free Asia" — echoes of traditional US policy goals.

On Saturday, the US official said "the United States was encouraged by China's efforts to restrain North Korea but that Washington would not accept Beijing's militarization of islands in the South China Sea."

Beijing has long rejected allegations that it is militarizing the maritime body.

"China has no intention to militarize the South China Sea. Our facilities on the islands and reefs are primarily for civilian purposes with a certain amount of military equipment to protect the freedom of navigation and overflight," Premier Li Keqiang said in March during an official visit to Australia.

Mattis said the threat from the DPRK was "clear and present" and that Pyongyang had increased its pace of pursuing nuclear weapons.

The 2017 16th Shangri-La Dialogue. is now underway in Singapore. /VCG Photo

The senior Chinese military official also recalled his meetings with dialogue participants during the reception and the dinner. They included participants from France, Britain, the United States, Singapore and Laos.

The Chinese military attaches importance to joining multilateral dialogue mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region, He Lei said, adding that the Chinese military has participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue for 11 years in a row since 2007.

He Lei hoped that by taking part in the dialogue, the Chinese delegation could further develop friendly ties with defense agencies, military officials and academics from various countries, enhance cooperation and deepen friendship.

He Lei also expressed his wish that the dialogue could treat all countries impartially and be conducted in a good atmosphere so as to focus on seeking ways to resolve problems.

(Source: Agencies)