Chinese defense minister meets South African military chief

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu met with Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), on Wednesday in Beijing.

Li said the Chinese side is willing to join hands with the South African military in deepening strategic communication, improve the construction of mechanisms, and jointly address common security challenges to advance deeper and more solid exchanges and cooperation between the militaries.

Maphwanya said the SANDF is willing to continue to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the Chinese side, improve the relationship between the militaries, and jointly contribute to building a fairer, safer and better world.