BEIJING, May 29 -- Senior military and political officials from nearly 30 countries will gather in Singapore on Friday for the 13th Asia security summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, to discuss regional security and cooperation.

Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), will lead a delegation to attend the security summit, which is organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Wang will deliver a speech at the summit, elaborating the new security concept for Asia proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

He will also introduce the great efforts and achievements made by the Chinese army in implementing the new security concept and carrying out international security cooperation, as well as make propositions on stepping up regional security collaboration.

During the meeting, Wang is expected to exchange views with defense chiefs and military officials of other countries on regional security situation and bilateral military relations.

"Shangri-La Dialogue is a multilateral security dialogue forum ... China hopes that the forum could make positive contribution to promoting mutual trust between countries in the region as well as safeguarding regional security," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing in mid-May.

The three-day dialogue is to be held this year at a time when the United States is bolstering its strategy of "rebalance" in the Asia-Pacific region, while territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea are gaining more attention.

A keynote address from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and speeches given by the U.S. and Chinese delegations are expected to grab the limelight at the annual dialogue.

The agenda of this year's dialogue includes the challenges of maintaining and managing open seas, advancing military-to-military cooperation, managing strategic tensions, ASEAN and the emerging regional security order, the future of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and ensuring agile conflict management in the Asia-Pacific.

China has always participated in regional security cooperation in a candid and constructive manner, showing sincerity in promoting international security cooperation and increasing military transparency.

It regards the Shangri-La Dialogue as a platform for China and other parties to learn about each other's policies and concerns, and will take it as a good opportunity to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation with relevant parties in a bid to safeguard stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the 12th Shangri-La Dialogue held in 2013, the Chinese delegation elaborated on China's national defense policy, its proposition to enhance regional security cooperation and its unswerving determination to stick to the road of peaceful development in promoting such cooperation.

The delegation also made it clear that China encouraged dialogue and consultation to resolve disputes in the region, but it would not waiver in its determination to safeguard national interests.

"China's hope for sustained peace and stability in this region, and its stress on dialogue and consultation for the sake of peace by no means denotes unconditional compromises. Our resolve and commitment to safeguarding core national interests always stand steadfast," the delegation had said.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, named after the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore,has gradually transformed itself into one of the most prominent security dialogues in the region since it was launched in 2002.

It is now serving as an important platform to promote mutual communication, interaction, understanding and trust between Asia-Pacific countries.