BEIJING - Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met with his Swiss counterpart Ueli Maurer Wednesday, pledging to strengthen military ties between the two countries.

"Bilateral ties have maintained sound development since the two countries established diplomatic relations. Military ties also saw healthy and stable advancement," Liang said.

Recent years witnessed frequent high-level visits between the two militaries, the development of an annual dialogue mechanism between the two defense ministries and multiple exchanges in defense-related areas, Liang added.

China is satisfied with the current state of bilateral military ties and is willing to work with Switzerland to develop them even further, Liang said.

Maurer said the Swiss government and its people hope to strengthen the country's relations with China and are willing to promote political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

"Maintaining close exchanges and cooperation between the two defense departments and militaries benefits both sides. Switzerland is willing to promote cooperation between the two defense departments and their militaries," Maurer said.