The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) Navy is ready to work with the navies of other countries to respond to maritime security risks and challenges. This was told to reporters by Senior Colonel Qu Tao, Deputy Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
"Together with the navies of various countries, we are ready to continue to adhere to the principle of multilateralism, advocate impartiality and justice, help each other, work together, ensure security and we share a common destiny. We will work together to promote global and regional maritime governance, jointly respond to maritime security risks and challenges, and actively promote the creation of a community with a shared maritime destiny,” he said at a press conference ahead of the April 22 start of the 19th Naval Symposium in the Western Pacific Ocean in Qingdao (eastern Shandong Province).
According to his words, representatives of the naval forces of 29 countries will participate in the symposium in 2024. Among them are delegations from Australia, Cambodia, Chile, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, USA, Pakistan, Great Britain, as well as Russia. Participants will discuss issues such as global security, maritime peace and tranquility, maritime security cooperation, maritime order based on international law, and global maritime governance.
The symposium is being held in China for the second time since 2014. Then the participants adopted a document providing for new rules of conduct at sea. Since 1988, when the first symposium was held, 29 countries have participated and another 7 countries have been observers. For more than 30 years, the cooperation of this site has become a mechanism for interaction between navies to maintain peace in the region.
The previous Western Pacific Naval Symposium was held in Japan in November 2022. The 70th anniversary of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was also celebrated at the same time. Initially, representatives of Russia were supposed to participate in these events, but before they were held, Japan canceled the invitation to the Russian Federation.