Chinese In Mongolia Mark 91 Years Of People's Liberation Army

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 1 (GNA/Xinhua) - The Chinese Embassy in Mongolia hosted a reception here on Tuesday to celebrate the 91 st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which falls on Aug. 1.

Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Xing Haiming made a welcome speech at the reception, emphasizing the progress in China-Mongolia cooperation in a wide range of areas over the past years.

He also hailed the comprehensive strategic partnership China and Mongolia have built, adding that the two countries have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges, and continuously deepened fruitful and pragmatic cooperation.

"China follows the policy of self-defence. The PLA has established cooperation with armies of over 150 countries," Bao Yuhai, defence attache of the Chinese embassy in Mongolia, said in his speech at the reception.

Currently, the PLA deploys 2,500 servicemen in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in more than 10 countries, including Mali, South Sudan and Lebanon, according to Bao.

As for the bilateral military relations between China and Mongolia, Bao said that the two armies enjoy friendly and strong ties underpinned by mutual trust and respect.

He also said that Mongolian Defence Minister Nyamaa Enkhbold's successful visit to China in May and China's participation in Khaan Quest 2018 multinational peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia have demonstrated the close communication between the two armies.

Over 100 servicemen of Mongolia will study in Chinese military academies starting from September of this year, he added.