DEFENCE MINISTER VISITS CHINESE FLEET

Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean toured the South Sea Fleet in the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province as part of his official five-day visit to China on the morning of 15 Oct.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the South Sea Fleet Rear-Admiral Yao Zhilou received Mr Teo on the fleet - one of the three fleets of the People's Liberation Army. Mr Teo then went on to visit Marine Brigade One, which is under the South Sea Fleet's command.

In the earlier part of his China trip, the minister met State Councillor, Minister of National Defense and Member of the Central Military Commission General Liang Guanglie in Beijing.

The two agreed that continuing defence exchanges such as high level visits, cross attendance of courses and sharing of views on issues of mutual concern will further strengthen the defence relationship. Both sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Mr Teo's trip, which ended on 16 Oct, included visiting Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Urumqi in Xinjiang province and meeting Commander of the Guangzhou Military Region Lieutenant-General (LG) Zhang Qinsheng and Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District LG Tian Xiusi.