A delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) visited France and Germany last week for defence strategic consultations. All sides agreed to strengthen strategic communication on defence, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and expand exchanges and cooperation.
According to a statement on China’s Ministry of Defence website on Wednesday (28 October), the PLA delegation visited France and Germany from 21 to 28 October for in-depth exchanges on issues of shared concern, including bilateral and military ties, and the international and regional security situation.
China has previously held defence exchanges at various levels with France and Germany. From 11 to 17 May last year, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun led a delegation to both countries and attended the sixth UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Germany.
During that visit, Dong held talks with then French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu on 12 May and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on 15 May. They exchanged views on bilateral and military ties, as well as international and regional developments, and reached a consensus on strengthening practical exchanges and cooperation between their armed forces.
Beyond defence exchanges, China and France have also maintained high-level strategic communication. On 10 October this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, held the 28th China-France Strategic Dialogue in Datong, Shanxi province. They discussed deepening cooperation in areas including nuclear energy, aerospace and artificial intelligence (AI).
