19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium set to take place in E China

QINGDAO, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) will open on Sunday in the port city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province.

Themed "Seas of Shared Future," the four-day meeting will see over 180 navy representatives from 29 countries in attendance, Qu Tao from the office of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy staff department told a press briefing in Qingdao on Saturday.

Qu said the WPNS has grown into an important platform for navies of various countries to engage in communication, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation.

As a founding member of the WPNS, China has been committed to the principles of inclusiveness, equality and cooperation in its engagement with the affairs of the forum, Qu said, adding that it hosted the 14th WPNS biennial meeting in 2014.

The Chinese navy is willing to work together with its counterparts to promote global and regional marine governance, tackle maritime safety risks and challenges, and advance building a marine community with a shared future, Qu said.