BEIJING - China and Slovenia on Tuesday pledged to deepen substantive cooperation between their military forces.

The pledge was made during a meeting between Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his Slovenian counterpart Ljubica Jelusic on Tuesday.

Jelusic is the first Slovenian defense minister to visit China since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1992.

Liang said that Chinese and Slovenians have enjoyed a "good friendship" despite their distance. Liang also spoke highly of the increasing number of high-level visits and deepened mutual trust between the militaries of both nations.

He highlighted the smooth growth of China-Slovenia military ties, citing the establishment of a dialogue mechanism between the two defense ministries and more cooperation in personnel training.

Jelusic, Slovenia's first female defense minister, said China was one of the first countries to recognize Slovenia after it declared full sovereignty in 1991.

Both Liang and Jelusic underscored their commitment to developing stronger military ties, proposing that the two militaries should work together more closely in disaster prevention and reduction, personnel training and other fields.

Liang and Jelusic also exchanged views on other issues of common concern.