RI, China Military Relation Expected To develop More

Beijing, April 10 (ANTARA) - The bilateral relation between Indonesia and China particularly in military sector is expected to develop more in the future, an official said. "Indonesia and China has cooperate in providing training and education for military personnel, exchange of visit between senior officials, joint training, transfer of technology and cooperation between defense industry," Defense Attache of Indonesian Embassy in Beijing Colonel Lek Suryamargono said here on Tuesday. The colonel said military cooperation between the two countries would be developed more by, for example, adding more personnel for the exchange program and improve the joint training materials. Earlier Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Liu Jian Chao said China supports Indonesia`s military modernization by among others establishing cooperation in defense industry. "We fully understand that adequate military forces are needed to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the unitary Republic of Indonesia," he said. He said Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro`s visit in China last February was very important to create the ever increasingly stronger defense cooperation between the two nations, particularly in developing their respective defense industry. Anyway, Indonesia`s adequate military forces could support security stability not only in Indonesia as a sovereign state but also in the region, he said. Defense cooperation between the two nations had existed for a quite long time. It was not until 2006 that the two nations held the first ever joint consultation forum in Jakarta, followed by a bilateral consultation forum in Beijing in 2007. The two forums had assisted the two countries in enhancing their defence cooperation, evident from the signing of Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between the two nations in 2007.