KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Malaysia has reaffirmed its continued strong defence ties with the two super powers, namely the United States of America (USA) and China.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the commitments were made during calls on him by his counterparts, US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter, and China’s Minister of National Defence and State Councillor General Chang Wanquan on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus, today.
“In the bilateral meeting with Secretary Carter, we discussed a range of matters related to bilateral defence relations between Malaysia and the US.
“The discussion with General Chang is on issues of strategic importance to both our countries, as well as current and emerging trends in the ever changing global security landscape,” he said in a statement, here, today.
He said the two bilateral meetings also discussed matters of operational interest, especially with regards to significant developments in military-to-military cooperation with both countries.
“There will be an upcoming exercise between the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the US Army named MALUS AMPHEX, scheduled at the end of this month in Sabah, while we (Chang and I) also acknowledged the successful conduct of our first joint military exercise,’Peace and Friendship’ between MAF and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last September,” Hishammudin said.
He had earlier joined Carter for a visit on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, currently based in international waters off the coast of Sabah, and then visited the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah.
Hishammuddin had extended his invitation to both Carter and Chang to take part in the biennial Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference 2016 (DSA 2016) which will be held from April 18 to 21, next year, here. — Bernama
