KOTA KINABALU: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein played host to his counterparts from the United States and China in separate meetings today.
In the morning, he received a courtesy call in his office in Kuala Lumpur from China National Defense Minister and State Councilor General Chang Wanquan.
In the afternoon here, Hishammuddin met US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in the latter’s inaugural visit to Malaysia to attend the 3rd Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting which ended today.
Hishammuddin said, in his meeting with Chang, they discussed a broad range of issues of strategic importance to both countries as well as current and emerging trends in the ever-changing global security landscape.
"Overall, the bilateral meeting reaffirms the strong ties between the two nations in the area of defence.
"It is our great hope that these strong ties, built on equal partnership and mutual trust, will lead to mutual benefits for both our nations especially in terms of maintaining regional peace and stability," he said.
With Carter, Hishammuddin said they discussed a range of matters related to bilateral defence relations between Malaysia and the US.
"We also toured the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, currently based in international waters off the coast of Sabah, and visited the Royal Malaysian Navy Base in Teluk Sepanggar.
"During the visit, we also discussed the progress of current defence cooperation between Malaysia and the US," he said.