Q:It is reported that the first conference on security policy of ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF)will be held in Beijing in the near future. Could you introduce relevant information?

A: As approved by the 11th ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the first Security Policy Conference of the ARF will be held in Beijing from November 4th to 6th with Indonesia taking its chair.

The initiative of convening this conference, which was proposed by the Chinese side at the 10th ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting, was aimed to promote the participation of national defense officials in the ARF, enhance mutual trust and understanding and improve and enrich the ARF process. At this conference, participants will review the situation of international and regional security, brief each other on their own security policies and discuss the role of national defense departments in dealing with the non-traditional security threats.

The Security Policy Conference is the highest level one among the events that involve national defense officials within the framework of the ARF. Up to now, most members have decided to dispatch national defense officials at vice ministerial level to attend the conference. The Chinese delegation will be headed by Mr. Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army.